ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s inflation has risen ahead of Ramadan, with the country’s annual inflation rate reaching 5.80% in January, up 0.39% from the previous month, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
The prices of many basic commodities have gone up:
Live broiler chicken: +16%
Wheat: +10%
Tomatoes: +7%
Flour (Atta): +4.8%
Fruits: +2.28%
Spices: +2%
In addition, prices of fish, bakery items, moong dal, dry fruits, powdered milk, and meat also recorded increases.
Conversely, onions and potatoes saw a sharp drop of 28%, while overall vegetable prices fell by 16.59%. The price of sugar went down by 9.6% and eggs by 6%. Other items like chana dal, masoor dal, jaggery, mash beans, gram flour (besan), and cigarettes also witnessed a reduction in prices.
The average inflation rate from July 2025 to January 2026 also remained the same at 5.24%.
PM Shehbaz vows effective Ramadan package through digital wallet
Earlier, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has issued instructions to prepare beneficial and effective packages for the people in Ramadan.
A review meeting on the federal government’s proposed Ramadan package and the third-party validation of last year’s Ramadan package was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, in which the Prime Minister praised all relevant institutions and ministries for the report by an authoritative audit organization on the transparency of last year’s Ramadan package.
Shahbaz Sharif said that since last year, the federal government has set up a transparent system to provide food and drink to the poor people at affordable prices through the Ramadan package. The government has transformed the system of financial irregularities, mismanagement and exploitation of the poor, which had been going on in the country for decades, into a transparent system through utility stores.
He directed all the relevant institutions to formulate more effective and beneficial packages and recommendations for the upcoming Ramadan than last year, saying that due to corruption in utility stores, deserving people were deprived of their rights. Financial assistance and social welfare of the poor and the white-clad people are among the top priorities of the government.
The Prime Minister said that the provision of relief funds under the Ramadan package to the poor people should be made through digital wallets so that the honor and dignity of the people are not harmed. Provision of relief funds to the people through digital wallets will also prove to be a milestone in achieving a cashless economy, and the participation of the State Bank of Pakistan in the distribution of the Ramadan package will promote the cashless economy.
He gave special instructions that all the relevant ministries and institutions should ensure that the scope and inclusion of the poor people in the relief funds can be expanded as much as possible. A comprehensive strategy and recommendations containing practical measures should be presented soon for better and more effective payment in the Ramadan package than last year. A digital dashboard and a systematic monitoring system should be developed for effective monitoring.
The briefing given in the meeting was informed that in the third-party validation of the Ramadan package last year, a world-renowned and authoritative audit firm declared the government package effective and transparent. The Social Protection Vault system is being introduced in the Benazir Income Support Program, under which free SIMs are being distributed to the deserving people and from March 2026, all relief funds will be distributed digitally through this SIM.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation Syed Imran Ahmed Shah, Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain, Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar, Chairman NADRA and Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and other relevant government officials.
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