July 13, 2001

Islamabad; The government is planning to remove 44 items from the Essential Commodities List of the Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act, 1977 which currently includes 66 items. This Act provides for regulating the prices, production, movement,
transport, supply, distribution, disposal and sale of the essential commodities. The purported move is a clear-cut shift in the public policy in that the government is backing out of its duty of ensuring the supply of basic commodities. The decision of deregulating the prices of 44 essential items is apparently being taken at the behest of ADB because no rationale has been given by the government to justify the proposed action. Furthermore, the clandestine way in which the government is doing all this is in itself questionable. This is a verdict on millions of inflation-struck Pakistanis who are fast slipping below the poverty line. There is a strong need that we consider a serious public debate on this at every forum possible. This public debate should discuss all essential commodities and the pros and cons of deregulation of every item should be discussed threadbare before taking any decision. Representing the interests of consumers. The Network for Consumer Protection and Consumer Rights commission of Pakistan (CRCP) believe that a decision
which affects consumers should be approved by them. We express our serious reservations on the secretive and hasty style of decision- making on such a crucial issues of consumer and public interest and demand that: