ECC orders sale of 21 Utility Stores properties worth Rs12 billion

Pakistan’s Economic Coordination Committee has instructed the Industries and Production Ministry to move faster on selling 21 Utility Stores Corporation properties valued at Rs12.045 billion. It also approved a technical supplementary grant of Rs11.329 billion to cover immediate costs linked to closing the state-owned retailer, Profit by Pakistan Today reported.

The property sale still needs approval from the Privatisation Commission and the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation, which has formed a committee led by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to review the proposal. USC stopped operating nationwide on July 31, 2025; the government has released Rs15 billion of the closure funding, while a further Rs21.529 billion is to be considered separately. The ministry says 11,083 employees were laid off and Rs8.146 billion in severance was paid to 9,119 staff.