Old price of roti restored, action against violators on, PHC told

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) was told on Wednesday that the district administration has restored the old price of Rs10 per roti and action was being taken against the violators.

Deputy Advocate General Rabnawaz Khan told a division bench comprising Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Khan that the decision to increase the price of roti from Rs10 to Rs15 by the district administration has been withdrawn.

The law officer, representing the government, submitted that now the nanbais were bound to sell a roti of 130 grams for Rs10. He also informed the bench that the district administration had charged and sent hundreds of nanbais to prison, who were not selling roti on Rs10 and the action continues.

When the bench wanted to dispose of the petition after recording the statement of the law officer, the petitioners’ counsel Muhammad Khurshid Khan submitted that the court should order the district administration to produce notifications regarding increase and withdrawal of the decisions.

On the request of counsel of the petitioners, the court directed the deputy commissioner, Peshawar, to ensure submission of records and notifications regarding increase and decrease of the roti price before the court on next hearing. In the previous hearing, the court had summoned the Peshawar deputy commissioner along with records, but he did not appear in the court on Wednesday. The decision was challenged by one Afaq Hussain and other citizens through their lawyer Muhammad Khurshid Khan in the court.

During the hearing, the lawyer submitted before the court that after a daylong shutdown by nanbais, the district administration agreed to increase the roti price from Rs10 to Rs15. The lawyer stated that an agreement to raise the roti price was made during the meeting between the officials of the Peshawar district administration and representatives of the Nanbais Association.

Mohammad Iqbal, president of nanbais association, said the strike had been called off after the agreement with the district administration.