PESHAWAR: Traders in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have attributed the phenomenon rising prices of essential commodities to the ongoing smuggling of food items across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
According to sources at the border, various food items are being smuggled to Afghanistan, causing an increase in prices and shortages in KP. As a result, items such as sugar, flour, and others are in short supply due to this smuggling operation.
Traders claim that the local authorities are not taking action against influential figures involved in this illicit trade. Instead, these influentials are manipulating prices by hoarding and profiteering from the supply of essential food items.
Mujib Rahman, the President of KP Traders Association, revealed that traders from both Pakistan and Afghanistan have been involved in this lucrative operation of smuggling. They profit not only from smuggling goods to Afghanistan but also reimporting the same food items at higher prices from other countries. The government has remained silent on this matter, focusing solely on actions against small traders, said Rehman.Â
He further said that it would be challenging for the government to regain control over prices as long as it refrains from taking action against those involved in smuggling.
Peshawar, a hub for Afghan exports and transit trade, witnesses millions of rupees worth of Chinese ceramics, rice, various pulses, and wheat being smuggled daily into Afghanistan.
President of Peace and Justice Programme, Pir Syed Ahmed Shah, revealed that huge quantities of goods, including wheat, sugar, rice, pulses, and other essentials, are being smuggled beneath export items heading to Afghanistan through Peshawar’s Ring Road and other areas.
He stated that government officials are complicit in the smuggling, causing artificial shortages of wheat, sugar, ghee, pulses, and other items in Peshawar and across the province, resulting in skyrocketing prices and pushing the necessities of life beyond the reach of the poor.
He appealed to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the Director of the Anti-Corruption Department, and other authorities to intervene in this matter and curb the rampant smuggling activities. “The smuggling continues to plague KP, affecting the daily lives and livelihoods of the people. Traders and the public alike hope for swift government action to address this pressing concern and stabilise food prices,” Shah said.
