Traders asked to sell edibles at low rates

LAHORE:Pakistan Ulema Council and Darul Afta Pakistan while considering hoarding and illegal profiteering as anti-Shariah, appealed to merchant community to make available basic necessities and commodities of life at subsidised prices in view of prevailing Covid-19 outbreak.

Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi and leading religious scholars of Darul Afta Pakistan in a joint decree stated that merchants should sell basic commodities and necessities on subsidised prices to make availability of food for all segments of society. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) has said that whosoever will hoard basic necessities of life for profiteering, Allah will enforce plague and poverty on them. Amidst prevailing crisis, when the entire country has been locked down in view of Covid-19 outbreak, some elements are hoarding edibles to maximise profit.

Resultantly, people are facing problems to feed their children, this act will ultimately incite wrath of Allah Almighty. Religious scholars in a joint decree underlined that whosoever hoards edibles acts against the Islamic teachings. They stated that because of prevailing lockdown in the country, millions of people have become jobless and worried how to feed their families; therefore, everyone in the society instead of hoarding and profiteering should take care of one another by making available basic necessities of life. They appealed to merchant community not to invite wrath of Allah and provide food items for people on subsidised prices. They stated that in this situation, it was responsibility of the government as well as individuals to take care of fellow humans. The demanded the government launch a crackdown on such elements responsible for artificial inflation.