KARACHI: The Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association (KWGA) has initiated a complete shutter-down strike across Karachi’s major commodity hubs, including Jodia Bazar, Dandia Bazar, Lea Market, and key wholesale markets in Korangi, Landhi, and Liaquatabad. This widespread shutdown has brought business activities to a halt and suspended the country-wide supply of essential grains. The protest stems from deep grievances against the local administration’s aggressive enforcement of official flour prices. Wholesale traders argue that while they are willing to cooperate with official price regulations, they are being subjected to unfair harassment. KWGA Chairman Abdul Rauf Ibrahim has accused the Assistant Commissioner of District South of imposing exorbitant fines and sealing dozens of shops, while suspiciously directing merchants to pay these heavy penalties via EasyPaisa mobile wallet numbers instead of official banking channels.
The protesting merchants demand that the government address the root cause of the pricing crisis rather than targeting distributors. They question why the administration is penalizing wholesalers instead of taking action against the flour mills that supply the commodity at inflated rates in the first place. Despite the mounting crisis, the Commissioner of Karachi has reportedly refused to meet with the association’s leadership to negotiate a resolution. Although the association has clarified that this initial complete market shutdown is scheduled to last for only one day, they have firmly warned that protests and supply disruptions will continue if the administration does not halt its one-sided, heavy-handed crackdowns.
