KARACHI: Wholesale grocery markets across Karachi will remain closed on Wednesday, (today) after traders announced a one-day strike against what they described as an “excessive” administrative crackdown on flour wholesalers, a move that could disrupt the supply of essential commodities to other cities.
The strike, called by the Karachi Wholesalers Grocers Association (KWGA), will shut down major wholesale markets, including Jodia Bazar, Lea Market, Dandia Bazar, Nanakwara, Landhi, Malir, Korangi and Liaquatabad.
KWGA Chairman Abdul Rauf Ibrahim said the closure could affect the nationwide supply chain because these markets dispatch large quantities of grains and grocery items to different parts of the country. He criticized the administration’s method of enforcing official flour prices, saying wholesalers were being arrested, heavily fined, and having their shops sealed. “Arresting wholesalers, imposing heavy fines, sealing shops and harassing traders on the pretext of higher flour prices is unacceptable,” he said.
Rauf Ibrahim alleged that traders were being fined between Rs 50,000 and Rs 150,000, but instead of receiving an official receipt or challan, they were simply given an EasyPaisa number to deposit the amount. He described the practice as deeply alarming and lacking transparency. He argued that wholesalers were being unfairly singled out, insisting that flour mills, not traders, were responsible for higher prices. “The government should take action against the mills supplying expensive flour, impose fines on them, and seal them if necessary. Many wholesale shops have already been sealed,” he said.
The KWGA demanded an immediate end to what it called illegal action against traders, the reopening of sealed shops, and a transparent and lawful procedure for imposing fines. It warned that the protest could be expanded if its demands were not met.
Meanwhile, Sindh Tajir Ittehad President Jamil Paracha also criticised the commissioner’s price-control campaign, saying excessive powers were being used to book traders and impose heavy fines even inside narrow market lanes. He said several traders had been detained, while many shops had been sealed and penalised during the ongoing drive. However, Paracha clarified that his organisation, which represents traders in Karachi’s old city markets, would not join Wednesday’s strike because it had not been invited by the KWGA. “This is purely a movement of grain and spice traders against the commissioner’s unjust crackdown,” he said.
The protest comes amid an intensified campaign by the Sindh Food Department and district administration against wholesale warehouses and flour mills. According to official figures, more than 85,000 tonnes of wheat have been recovered from alleged hoarders across Sindh in recent days. Authorities say the operation has significantly reduced flour prices from their recent peak.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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