NAROWAL: The Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) Zafarwal officials on Wednesday took into custody a price control magistrate on suspicion of being an impersonator.

The officer was, however, later released after the district administration confirmed his status.

The affected officer, Muhammad Abdullah, who is posted as Zafarwal tehsil officer community supervisor in health department, told Dawn that he was assigned the powers of price control magistrate by the Narowal deputy commissioner on the orders of Punjab home department in 2022.

He said that on Wednesday he was checking milk price at the main stop at Zafarwal along with his staff, when a Pera Force vehicle arrived there and an official asked him to accompany them to their local office.

Officer was using private vehicle for field visit

Abdullah said that he introduced himself to the Pera official and told him about his assignment, but he refused to believe. The officer said that Pera officials took him to their office where they accused him of being an impersonator.

“I showed them my official identity card, but they remained adamant that I was an impersonator,” the officer said.

However, the Pera officials later released Mr Abdullah when they came to know through the district administration that he was a designated price control magistrate.

Local observers say that the incident has exposed the lack of coordination in the district administration, which was creating confusion in the public as well.

They say that one of the reasons behind such incidents is that the officers granted powers of price control magistrates have not been provided any official vehicles or police guards to perform field duty.

Pera District Officer Faisal Nadeem refused to comment on the incident and asked this correspondent to contact Zafarwal Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Taazim, who toodid not bother to respond to queries made in this regard.

District Information Officer Ehsanul Haq confirmed that the tehsil officer was assigned the powers of price control magistrate and he has been performing the duty for the last four years.

He said the Pera officials took the price control magistrate into custody because of some “misunderstanding.”

He said that due to the shortage of government vehicles, the price control magistrates have to work in the field using private vehicles.

Locals -- Arsalan and Shahzad Ahmed -- said that the price magistrates who visit the markets neither have any ID card issued by the district administration, nor any official vehicle, which creates confusion about their official status.

Narowal DC Muhammad Tayyab Khan, who is also district commander of Pera, was contacted for his stance, but no response was received from him.

Local shopkeepers have demanded that Punjab chief minister should assign dress code or provide some identification document to the price control magistrates so they could perform their field duty effectively.

Published in Dawn, March 26th, 2026