By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The federal government has set the retail price of sugar in the capital at Rs172 per kilogram, media reported.
According to an official notification issued here, government has set the ex-mill rate of sugar at Rs165 per kilogram. The Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Islamabad has directed all assistant commissioners to ensure strict compliance with the price control measures.
The notification warns that any violation of the fixed rates will result in stringent legal action. The DC has also ordered a crackdown on shopkeepers charging above the stipulated price list and urged citizens to report instances of overpricing to help enforce the regulation.
The development came after the sugar crisis intensified in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Despite official claims, sugar disappeared from markets across Rawalpindi. Both wholesale and retail outlets are reportedly out of stock.
In retail markets, sugar was sold at prices ranging from Rs190 to Rs200 per kilogram, while in wholesale, a 50-kg bag surged to as high as Rs9,300.
The sugar shortage was also reported in Attock, Chakwal, and Talagang, leaving the public distressed.
Mill owners attributed the shortage to depleted stocks and halted supply chains. The district administration has launched an operation aimed at bringing sugar prices down.
Heavy fines imposed on shopkeepers, and the central traders’ association has called an emergency meeting in response.
Earlier, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed reservations over Pakistan’s decision to offer tax exemptions and subsidies on imported sugar, warning that such measures could jeopardize the ongoing $7 billion loan program, sources familiar with the development told ARY News.
According to official sources, the IMF opposed the government’s plan to provide a subsidy of Rs55 per kilogram on imported sugar, which is expected to arrive in Pakistan at a cost of Rs249 per kg.
The international lender also rejected the Pakistan government’s justification that the import falls under “food emergency” measures.
