Crackdown Ordered Against Hoarders and Profiteers Nationwide
Mian Nadeem
Published October 26, 2026 | 05:42 PM
Domestic stocks of key food items, including wheat and sugar, are sufficient to meet demand, according to a meeting chaired by Ishaq Dar.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Oct, 2026) Ishaq Dar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, has ordered a nationwide crackdown against hoarders and profiteers to control rising food prices amid inflationary pressure caused by the ongoing US-Iran conflict in the Middle East.
Higher energy prices resulting from the conflict have increased transportation and goods delivery costs in Pakistan, an import-dependent country, putting additional pressure on household budgets. Authorities are examining whether businesses are raising prices unnecessarily in response to higher costs.
According to official data, annual consumer inflation fell to 10.3% in September from 11.1% in August, while annual wholesale inflation was recorded at 13.3%. Weekly inflation rose to 11.85% in the week ending October 22, mainly due to an increase in wheat flour prices.
Officials expressed concern over rising wheat prices and warned that hoarding and speculative trading could cause inflation to rise further.
Ishaq Dar said at a cabinet committee meeting on Saturday, held to review national stocks, procurement procedures, consumption and price trends, that protecting national food security and ensuring the availability of essential commodities at reasonable prices were government priorities.
He directed federal and provincial authorities to closely monitor markets and trading networks, stressing that no leniency should be shown toward hoarding and profiteering.
According to the Ministry of Information, domestic and imported wheat stocks were sufficient to meet requirements until the arrival of the next crop.
Ishaq Dar expressed concern over rising wheat prices and directed federal and provincial authorities to take all necessary measures to stabilize prices, including increasing wheat supplies.
The meeting was also told that the price of sugar in the local market was considerably below the target of Rs155 per kilogram, while additional stocks were available to meet requirements until the next crushing season.
Earlier this month, the government of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest agricultural province, approved a Rs10 billion subsidy to ensure the availability of flour at affordable prices. It also decided to increase the wheat quota supplied to flour mills at subsidized rates, with the price fixed at Rs3,800 per maund.