A full-scale walkout in Rawalpindi and Punjab has been called by the Grocery Merchants Association in protest of the official grocery prices being imposed.
The lack of an open pricing system for necessities like ghee, sugar, wheat, legumes, and white beans has drawn criticism from the association.
An official mandate requiring merchants to offer food items at retail prices that are Rs50 less than the wholesale rates has been met with resistance from the industry. To voice their concerns with these pricing regulations, they are requesting a meeting with the chief minister of Punjab.
Saleem Pervez Butt, the president of the Central Grocery Merchant Association, voiced displeasure that the government has not yet established an appropriate pricing mechanism, even though earlier agreements were reached in meetings with authorities, such as the food minister.
