Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar led a cabinet committee meeting to evaluate the availability and pricing of essential goods. Dar was informed that domestic demand is currently met by adequate stocks, with prices expected to stabilise and no shortages anticipated.
The minister ordered relevant departments to oversee commodity prices and supply chains while warning that the ministry’s statement would see "strict action would be taken against hoarding, artificial shortages and overpricing of essential commodities." National Food Security and Research Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Climate Change Minister Musadik Malik, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Bajwa, and Secretary Commerce Jawad Paul participated in the session.
Pakistan's short-term inflation reached 11.97 per cent year-on-year during the week ending 8 October 2026. Wheat flour millers raised prices by an average of Rs14 per kg earlier this month, though they reduced costs for various varieties by Rs3 per kg during the final week of September.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah authorised the distribution of government wheat at Rs12,500 per 100kg bag starting 15 October 2026. Flour millers declined to purchase the official wheat on Thursday, claiming the grain is of substandard quality and unfit for human consumption.
The International Monetary Fund expects Pakistan's inflation to stay near double digits for another year, with headline inflation projected to jump from 7.1pc last year to 9.9pc.
