ISLAMABAD (MediaBites) — July 12, 2025:
Once dubbed the “Al-Fateh for the poor”, utility stores across Pakistan have now shut down completely, marking the end of an era where the middle class and low-income families could access daily essentials at subsidized rates.
Utility stores, a government-backed initiative, were the last bastion of affordable shopping for millions. Through state subsidies, these stores offered sugar, flour, oil, and other essentials at rates significantly lower than the open market. For decades, they served as a lifeline for the struggling classes, especially during economic downturns.
But as political priorities shifted from public welfare to personal and party interests, the state’s commitment to sustaining this welfare network gradually eroded. Branches began closing one by one, funding dried up, and now the entire utility stores network stands dismantled.
“Utility stores were a poor man’s dignity — now even that’s taken away,” lamented a shopper in Lahore.
Who is responsible?
Experts point to the successive governments’ neglect, rampant mismanagement, and the growing culture of privatization without social safeguards as key culprits behind this disaster. The government failed to revamp the stores’ operations or digitize their supply chains, despite numerous warnings about the impact on the common man.
READ MORE: How to Increase Pace on Documented & Digitized Economy in Pakistan?
Inflation: The Last Nail in the Coffin
Pakistan is already battling record inflation, with the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) hovering above 28% year-on-year.
- Sugar: Over Rs. 220 per kg,
- Flour: Above Rs. 180 per kg,
- Cooking oil: Crossing Rs. 720 per liter.
For a daily wage worker earning Rs. 1,000 per day, these prices are nothing short of devastating.
“When utility stores were there, at least I could buy sugar and flour at cheaper rates. Now, even a kilo of sugar feels like a luxury,” said an elderly citizen in Karachi.
The People’s Anguish
With no state-backed alternative, Pakistan’s poor and middle class are now hostage to private retailers and market mafias, who continue to jack up prices unchecked.
The closure of utility stores is not just the failure of a system but a betrayal of Pakistan’s struggling millions, left to navigate historic inflation with no safety net in sight.
Who killed the utility stores?
The answer, many say, lies in a toxic mix of political greed, economic mismanagement, and indifference to the awaam.
