With the advent of Ramazan, sellers had planned big profits by hoarding sugar and creating an artificial shortage of sugar, thus paving the way for raising the price of the commodity. In different parts of the country, however, the administration has started a crackdown on sugar hoarders and recovered millions of sugar sacks over the past three days.

In Punjab, the crackdown is the result of Punjab’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s special attention to curbing undue hike in prices and putting an end to the exploitation of public at the hands of shopkeepers and sellers. According to news sources, Mr. Sharif has given strict orders regarding recovery of hoarded sugar and arraigning the culprits. Different localities in and near Rawalpindi were searched for hoarded sugar from Friday to Sunday and three big sugar hoarders were charged with profiteering and hoarding.

Meanwhile, the Anjuman-e-Tajran (Trade Union) of Pakistan has verbally reacted to the crackdown, arguing that the administration ought to have sent notices to dealers to reveal their stocks of the commodity instead of suddenly harassing them with a crackdown. The crackdown also extends to other parts including big cities like Peshawar and Karachi. Hopefully, the action against hoarders and profiteers will make sure that the prices of basic necessities remain within reasonable bounds during and after Ramazan.