LAHORE: The Jamaat-iIslami has expressed its concerns at what it says lack of an effective price control mechanism which is leading to unchecked fleecing of consumers by the profiteers.

Punjab JI emir Javed Kasuri said here on Sunday that due to an unannounced increase in the prices of flour, 15-kg bags of flour are being sold up to Rs1,420 per unit, while the price of roti has also been increased by Rs2.

`There is no ef fective system to control inflation in the country. Whoever wants to increase the prices of food items does so without any let or hindrance.

He said that one-third of the countryhasbeenaffected by floods, while the rest has been mired in inflation.

He regretted that on one hand, the nation was facing a difficult time, while on the other Pakistan Tehreek-iInsaf Chairman Imran Khan was spending millions of rupees on electoral ralliesand processions. `It would have been good if the political leadership had thought of the country and the nation beyond personal interest at such a critical time.

He said the federal finance minister had admitted that the Pakistan is facing the highest deficit in its history and alleged that the incumbent coalition government is also a slave to the IMF and a continuation of the champions of so-called change and no good can be expected of them.

Mr Kasuri said the national textile sector needs 1.5 million cotton bales to fulfill the orders it received from the world market, while the recent floods have put all estimates about the cotton crop to rest. `It is important that the government takes measures on an urgent basis to fill the gap between demand and supply of cotton, otherwise our textile industry will suf fer a severe crisis putting at stake jobs of millions of people associated with the sector.