ISLAMABAD: Ghulam Mohammad, introducing his hoarding and blackmarketing bill, told the dominion parliament on Saturday [Dec 18] that the inflationary tendencies if not checked effectively would wreck Pakistan`s existing economic set-up and ...

give rise to new forces which nobody liked.

He warned that the deterioration in commercial morals and conduct would not affect the social and political life of the country alone. The blackmarketer would go on to command the Press, buy votes, and dictate to the Government. `This Bill is a link in the chain to counteract the disequilibrium in the country`s life.

Appealing to the people to co-operate with the Government in fighting the inflationary tendencies, [he] asked them to shake off the slavish habit `Anything wrong, blame the Government.

To the leaders of thought in the country, [the finance minister] appealed that they should change their angle of vision and help the Government. They should also turn to the people and tell them when they went wrong, [he said]. [He] blamed antisocial citizens for the present high prices. `The lowest in the man comes uppermost; and that is why we suffer,` he said. Dawn staff correspondent