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Karachi administration has intensified its campaign against profiteering, collecting over Rs 5.6 million in fines during the month of June, 2025.
The action is part of a citywide effort to curb rising food costs and enforce official pricing. The Commissioner Karachi Office released the report on Friday, highlighting the outcomes of the campaign.
Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi has instructed all Deputy Commissioners to scale up their efforts to ensure that official food prices are strictly implemented across all districts.
He highlighted that controlling inflation, particularly for essential items like beef, chicken, and naan, remains a top priority for the administration. The goal, he added, is to provide meaningful relief to citizens during ongoing economic pressure.
According to the report, Karachi’s Assistant Commissioners conducted price inspections at 6,992 different locations during the past month. Of these, more than 2,800 shops were found to be compliant with official rates. However, a significant number of shopkeepers were penalized for overcharging consumers.
Breakdowns of fines show considerable amounts collected from various districts.
The South, East, and Central districts alone paid Rs 1.22 million in penalties. The West district saw the highest collection, with Rs 1.93 million. Korangi followed with Rs 1.066 million, while Kemari and Malir paid Rs 300,000 and Rs 240,000, respectively.
In July, a special campaign targeting price gouging of beef, chicken, and naan was launched. This focused effort resulted in Rs 348,000 in fines.
Authorities also sealed three shops and issued warnings to forty others that were found violating the official price list.
Commissioner Naqvi reiterated that strict monitoring would continue in the coming weeks. He has instructed Deputy Commissioners to take immediate action against violators.
“The official price list must be enforced at all levels to protect the public from exploitation,” he said.
With Muharram approaching, the administration is planning enhanced market inspections to prevent artificial price hikes during high-demand periods.
