Having survived the cross-fire between furious onslaught from dark skies and water gushing from unforgiving lands, the hapless millions might have expected their fellow countrymen to have come to their aid. Alas! They must have forgotten that the republic they lived in was Islamic just in name. Reports of long queues outside LPG shops in black-and-blue bruised Quetta as profiteers do not bat an eyelid before quadrupling prices are making rounds on social media. Taking advantage of the unbelievable surge, nan bais (bakers) have also raised the prices of tandoori roti–an everyday essential. Elsewhere in Lahore, the prices of daily-use commodities are well on their way to touching skies. Most notable ha\/s been increases to the tune of 300 per cent in the prices of vegetables like onions, tomatoes, garlic and ginger. However, these bullish market trends might have made sense in the light of transport disruptions, lack of supply and an overall death blow to the infrastructure far and wide, had the itching palms spared the relief items in their constant pursuit of some extra bucks. Doubled prices of water-proof tents and trampolines (regardless of their quality) are akin to a tight slap on the nation’s moral character. Is this the reality of our perpetually in-vogue songs of patriotism and brotherhood? That the local governments cannot let their dire circumstances get in the way of an effective crackdown against such black sheep should not have been said out loud. After all, protecting the common man against the unrelenting greed of businesses is a piece and parcel of their job description. Sadly, living off the backs of the fallen has become the highlight of our collective personality. The slightest of health emergencies comes as a much-cherished blessing from heaven for hoarders. Cooling devices are known to cost a bomb during the days of notorious heat waves. Most insulting, nonetheless, is the yearly storm of inflation welcoming Ramazan when God-fearing Muslims smugly suck their brethren-in-faith dry. The government has, fortunately, decided to take notice of the distasteful affairs as Special Representative Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi publicly denounced the “mafias” for spearheading illegal profiteering and warned about the wrath awaiting them on the day of judgement. Still, the authorities cannot naively believe in the wonders of religious banter. If the sobs of those whose entire world crashed before their eyes could not melt the stone-hearted, no admonitions– however stern– could put an end to the disgraceful exploitation. Deploy the security forces and let the baton of the law force them to straighten their lines. Failure to set our house in order would sooner or later gain the attention of the international community and have an unavoidable impact on their determination to help us out of our dire straits. *