Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority: Pakistan’s Only Public Welfare Institution of Distinction, Elevated from Company to Statutory Authority Through a Unique Business and Operational Mode

Abstract

This paper examines Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority (PSBA) since it is the only government welfare organization in Pakistan that has managed to transform itself into a statutory institution while maintaining a specially developed business and operating model as a Section 42 company. Based on qualitative research, the paper will use the evidence provided by the legislative documents, governmental records, independent audits, and media reviews to determine the legal status and financial independence as well as performance of PSBA. During the era of strategic management of Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad, PSBA provided innovative developments like solar powered markets, digital displays of prices, inclusive vendor systems that helped women, and mobile bazaars to serve underserved regions. These interventions helped PSBA to provide consumer needs every day at prices as low as 35 percent lower than the market rates with no subsidies. The results place PSBA in the category of a transparent, citizen-responsive and a law-authorized institution, providing a model to be emulated in the developing economies concerning public welfare innovation, market efficiency, and institutional reform. This study adopts a qualitative documentary case-study design, using triangulation of legislative texts, independent audits, daily pricing data, and verified media sources to ensure methodological rigor and credibility of findings.