How to Report Overcharging in Karachi and Sindh: Call 1299 or File Online

To report overcharging in Karachi, call the toll-free number 1299, file a complaint at ckcmsgov.com with your CNIC, or call the Commissioner's complaint cell on 021-99244608. All three are printed on every official Karachi price list. A shop that sells above the notified price can be fined up to Rs 100,000 on the spot.

A Karachi butcher asks Rs 600 a kilo for broiler meat. The official list for Friday 2 October 2026 says Rs 520. That Rs 80 gap is what the Sindh price control law is there to stop, and you do not need a lawyer or a form to report it.

We read the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act 2005 with its 2023 amendments on the Sindh Code website. We also opened the Commissioner Karachi price lists on 3 October 2026. Here is what the law says and how to use it.

Selling above the notified price is an offence in Sindh

Section 7 of the Sindh price control Act 2005 says no person shall sell an essential commodity above the maximum price fixed by the District Controller. The list covers 58 items, from milk, meat and atta to medicines, cement and bricks. A shop that ignores the list commits an offence.

The Act calls the price-fixing officer the District Controller of Prices and Supplies. In Karachi, the Commissioner of Karachi Division holds that role, and the price lists say so at the top. The Bureau of Supply and Prices and the market committee sign each list too.

The First Schedule of the Act lists the essential commodities. The ones you buy most days include:

• Fresh milk, powdered milk and milk for infants
• Beef, mutton, chicken, fish and eggs
• Atta, maida, rice, sugar, tea, pulses and spices
• Edible oil and ghee, vegetables and fruits
• Roti, naan and chapati, bakery items and nimco
• Mineral water, drugs and medicines

The 2023 amendment added items such as salt, medicines, kerosene, bricks, sand, dates and roti to the list. If something is not on it, such as a phone or a fridge, this law does not set its price. A faulty or misrepresented product goes to the consumer court instead.

Karachi's official prices are on the Commissioner's website

The Commissioner Karachi website, commissionerkarachi.gos.pk, has a Price List page with separate lists for chicken, vegetables, fruit, atta, milk, beef, mutton and naan. Chicken, fruit and vegetable lists change often. The others stay in force until a new notification replaces them.

We opened the lists on 3 October 2026. These are the retail prices they set:

Look at the weight next to the naan price. The list sets a price for a fixed weight, so a lighter naan at the full price is also overcharging. Each list also says that changing the rates printed on it is an offence, and that shopkeepers, stall holders and handcart vendors must display it where buyers can see it.

How to report overcharging in Karachi

Call 1299, the toll-free Commissioner control room, or register a complaint at ckcmsgov.com using your CNIC number. You can also call the complaint cell on 021-99244608 or send a WhatsApp message to 0337-4716044. Keep the tracking number you receive.

The steps that make a complaint easy to act on:

1. Check the current list for the item on commissionerkarachi.gos.pk before you argue.
2. Note the shop name, the market, the item, the price you were charged and the time.
3. Keep the receipt if you got one, or take a photo of the price tag or board.
4. Call 1299 or open ckcmsgov.com, enter your CNIC and describe the overcharge.
5. Save the tracking number. The same site lets you track the complaint with that number and your CNIC.

The lists also print two WhatsApp numbers for the control room, 0316-0111712 and 021-99203443. A short message with the shop's location and a photo of the price is often quicker than a call during market hours.

We did not file a test complaint, so we cannot tell you how fast a magistrate visits. Be realistic. A single overcharge of Rs 20 on a dozen eggs may only get a warning. A market where the whole row ignores the list is more likely to get a raid.

Outside Karachi, the price officers sit in each district

The same Sindh law applies in Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana and every other district. Prices there are fixed by the district price controller and officers the Sindh government authorises. We did not find a separate published complaint number for each district.

The practical route is the Assistant Commissioner's or Deputy Commissioner's office in your taluka or district, because those officers run price checks on the ground. If you cannot reach them, the Pakistan Citizen Portal accepts complaints for any district and sends them to the right office.

Ask the shop for its rate list first. The law requires every dealer to show one. A shop with no list on display is breaking the law even before you check the prices.

Fines for overcharging go up to Rs 1 million for repeat offenders

An inspector can fine a shop up to Rs 100,000 on the spot for selling above the notified price. A conviction in court can bring up to six months in jail or a Rs 100,000 fine. A second conviction means at least three days in jail and a fine of Rs 500,000 to Rs 1 million. That repeat fine is higher than anything in Punjab's price control law, where fines top out at Rs 500,000.

The Second Schedule, rewritten in 2023, sets the spot fines issued by ticket:

• Selling above the notified price: up to Rs 100,000.
• Not displaying the price list: up to Rs 100,000 for a producer or dealer, up to Rs 20,000 for a retailer and up to Rs 10,000 for a handcart vendor.
• Not declaring stock: up to Rs 100,000.

A repeated offence doubles the ticket amount. The shop must pay at a National Bank branch within ten days, or the inspector files a case in court.

The 2023 amendment also gave officers real teeth. An authorised officer can search a shop without a warrant, seize goods and seal the premises for up to 30 days. Offences are cognisable and non-bailable, and a special magistrate must finish the trial within 30 days.

One more detail surprised us. Section 5F gives an informer 10% of any fine recovered after a conviction, for information on hoarding or price hikes. Government employees and their close family cannot claim it, and neither can you if officers already had the information.

Common questions

What is the overcharging complaint number in Karachi?

Call 1299, the toll-free Commissioner control room. The complaint cell is 021-99244608, and WhatsApp complaints go to 0337-4716044. All three numbers are printed on the official Karachi price lists.

Can I file a price complaint online in Karachi?

Yes. Go to ckcmsgov.com, enter your CNIC number and describe the problem. The site gives a tracking number, and you can check progress with that number and your CNIC.

Where can I see today's official chicken price in Karachi?

On the Price List page of commissionerkarachi.gos.pk. The chicken list dated 2 October 2026 set broiler meat at Rs 520 a kilo and farm eggs at Rs 240 a dozen.

Can I get in trouble for buying at a higher price?

No. Section 9 of the Act says a person who buys an essential item for personal use, not for sale, is not treated as helping the offence.

Does the Sindh price law cover medicines?

Yes, drugs and medicines were added to the list of essential commodities in 2023. Medicine prices themselves are fixed federally by DRAP, so a price above the printed retail price is the clearest case to report.

Is a shop allowed to hide the price list?

No. Every dealer must display the official list where customers can see it. A retailer who does not can be fined up to Rs 20,000 on the spot.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked on 3 October 2026. We read the full consolidated text of the Sindh Essential Commodities Price Control and Prevention of Profiteering and Hoarding Act 2005 on the Sindh Code website, including sections 5A to 5F, 7, 8, 9, 13 and both Schedules, and the amending Act of 2023. We opened the chicken, atta, beef, mutton and naan lists on the Commissioner Karachi price list page. The complaint numbers and the ckcmsgov.com portal are as printed on those lists, and we checked that the portal's complaint form asks for a CNIC. We did not file a test complaint. Prices change, so check the list on the day you shop. This is general information, not legal advice.