QUETTA: Leaders of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) have raised serious concerns over the unchecked price hike in Quetta and have accused government price control committees of corruption.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the party’s District Ameer, Sheikh-ul-Hadith Maulana Abdul Rehman Rafique, and Secretary General Haji Ainullah Shams, along with other leaders, expressed alarm over the rising prices of essential food items. They alleged that the government machinery has become disconnected from public issues.
According to the JUI-F leaders, the Price Control Committees are failing to perform their duties. “These committees are busy collecting huge bribes from shopkeepers instead of controlling prices,” they stated.
The leaders—including Maulana Khurshid Ahmed, Haji Bashir Ahmed Kakar, Haji Saleh Muhammad Noorzai, Mufti Raza Khan, Haji Zafarullah Kakar, Mir Sarfaraz Shahwani, Mir Hashmat Lehri, Seth Ajmal Bazai, Salar Maulvi Ali Jan, Maulana Syed Saadullah Agha, and Maulvi Naqeebullah Mulakhel—collectively asserted that Quetta has become a “city of discontent.”
They criticized the government’s price lists as mere paperwork with no impact on the ground. “Arbitrary prices are being charged in every street market, and the burden is falling on the poor people,” they added.
The religious political leaders highlighted that the public is suffering from inflation and unemployment while the ruling class remains unaware of the ground realities.
The JUI-F has formally demanded that the government take immediate steps to make the price control system transparent and effective. They also called for strict action against corrupt officials and the “profiteering mafia” who, they claim, are robbing the people.
