Peshawar’s Consumer Protection Court has fined Khaadi Pakistan Rs. 50,030 for charging a customer Rs. 30 for a branded shopping bag — a small-sounding dispute that’s produced a ruling with potentially wide implications for retailers across the country who charge for bags carrying their own logos.
What Actually Happened
The case traces back to December 20, 2025, when complainant Shafqat Aamir (referred to as Shafaq Aamir in some reporting) purchased clothing worth Rs. 7,000 from Khaadi’s University Road outlet in Peshawar. Alongside that purchase, she was separately charged Rs. 30 for a shopping bag bearing Khaadi’s promotional logo. She filed a complaint alleging the retailer’s bag charge amounted to unfair trade practice.
Khaadi’s Defense
In its response, Khaadi acknowledged the Rs. 30 charge but argued it wasn’t legally obligated to provide shopping bags free of cost, maintaining that the bag had been offered as an optional item at the customer’s own request rather than a mandatory add-on.
Why the Court Ruled Against Khaadi
Consumer Protection Court Judge Nasrullah Khan Gandapur examined the purchase receipt, which clearly recorded the Rs. 30 bag charge. The court’s key finding centered on the bag itself: because it carried Khaadi’s own brand logo, the judge determined it provided promotional benefit to the retailer — meaning Khaadi was effectively charging the customer for an item that also functioned as advertising for the company. The court ruled that Khaadi had violated the Consumer Protection Act, 1997, specifically under section 2(O)(xii)(xiii), and found the practice constituted unfair trade conduct — a company can’t charge a customer for something that simultaneously serves the company’s own promotional interests.
The Breakdown of the Rs. 50,030 Penalty
| Component | Amount | Paid To |
|---|---|---|
| Refund of original bag charge | Rs. 30 | Complainant (Shafqat Aamir) |
| Consumer compensation | Rs. 25,000 | Complainant (Shafqat Aamir) |
| Fine deposited with the treasury | Rs. 25,000 | National/government treasury |
| Total | Rs. 50,030 | — |
Why This Ruling Could Matter Well Beyond Khaadi
What makes this case notable isn’t the Rs. 30 at the center of it — it’s the precedent. The court explicitly acknowledged Khaadi’s market position as a leading Pakistani fashion and lifestyle brand while making clear that consumer protection standards apply uniformly, regardless of a brand’s size or market share. The ruling establishes that retailers cannot simultaneously charge customers for shopping bags and use those same bags as promotional material for the business — a common practice across Pakistan’s retail sector, spanning fashion, grocery, and other industries, many of which charge small bag fees on branded packaging without controversy until now.
What This Could Mean for Other Retailers
Given how widespread branded bag charges are across Pakistani retail, this ruling — even from a single consumer court — creates a legal precedent that other consumers could potentially cite in similar complaints against different retailers. Businesses that charge for logo-bearing bags may now want to reconsider that practice, or at minimum review whether their approach could be read the same way this court read Khaadi’s: as double-dipping, charging the customer while simultaneously using their money-funded purchase to advertise the brand.
Final Thoughts
A Rs. 30 shopping bag charge turning into a Rs. 50,030 penalty shows just how seriously Pakistan’s consumer protection courts are willing to treat seemingly minor unfair trade practices when they conflict with established law. For Khaadi, this is a relatively small financial hit from a well-established, internationally recognized brand — but for Pakistan’s broader retail sector, the ruling’s real weight lies in the precedent it sets for how branded packaging fees are treated going forward.
