LAHORE – Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority (PSBA) has achieved two international certifications for quality and information security, and an independent assessment by Ipsos has found 94 per cent consumer satisfaction at its bazaars under CM Maryam command.
PSBA has received international certification.
According to the authority, PSBA has been awarded ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification by SGS, a global testing, inspection and certification company headquartered in Switzerland. The authority has also received ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Information Security Management System certification from RICI, an international certification body.
The ISO 9001 certification covers service procedures, performance monitoring, complaint handling and corrective action. The ISO/IEC 27001 certification covers information security risk management, controlled access to sensitive records and the continuity of digital operations.
PSBA has also completed the final audit for ISO 45001:2018, the Occupational Health and Safety Management System standard, conducted by SGS. Certification has been recommended and the certificate is expected by November 2026. The authority is implementing ISO 14001:2026, the latest Environmental Management System standard, and an SGS audit will follow.
The certification programme was led by PSBA Director General Naveed Rafaqat Ahmad, who set up a dedicated team for the purpose. Officials said such a commitment is rare among government organisations, as certification requires continuous documentation, training, internal audits and annual external audits.
Ahmad is a chartered accountant (ICAEW), a certified business analyst and an SECP-certified director. He previously served as chief financial officer and chief executive of the Punjab Model Bazaars Management Company and led its conversion into a statutory authority under the Punjab Sahulat Bazaars Authority Act 2025. During that period, the organisation moved from a deficit to annual revenue of over Rs1.5 billion. He has also authored more than 30 peer-reviewed research papers on public finance and governance.
The ISO 45001 system supports hazard identification, safer working practices, worker participation and emergency preparedness, helping protect employees and strengthen the safety of bazaar operations. The ISO 14001 framework supports pollution prevention, waste reduction, efficient use of energy and water, environmental compliance and continual improvement.
Independent evidence of PSBA’s welfare impact comes from Ipsos, the international market research company headquartered in France. Its Ramzan 2026 economic impact assessment covered more than 6,500 respondents at 75 bazaar locations in 35 districts and nine divisions of Punjab.
According to the assessment, annual footfall at PSBA bazaars is estimated at 189 million visits, while Ramzan footfall was 40.6 million visits. Consumer satisfaction was recorded at 94 per cent and vendor satisfaction at 98 per cent.
Officials said the scale of the study, covering every division of the province, makes it one of the broadest independent assessments of a public welfare programme carried out in Punjab, and gives the authority a reliable baseline for measuring future performance.
The study found that more than 12,000 vendor stalls support over 23,800 direct workers and create an estimated 78,700 indirect employment opportunities. Vendors reported average increases of 24 per cent in sales and 23 per cent in net profit margins.
During Ramzan, selected essential commodities were available at up to 40 per cent below open-market prices and up to 18 per cent below rates notified by district administrations.
PSBA has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with WWF-Pakistan and is implementing the Green Office Programme at its headquarters, working towards certification. The programme includes energy and water conservation, reduced paper consumption, waste segregation and recycling, and sustainable procurement. The authority said its initiatives support the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The authority said these achievements reflect the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif and the directions of PSBA Chairperson Muhammad Afzal Khokhar, MNA.
Observers said the combination of international certifications and an independent impact assessment places PSBA among a small group of public institutions in Pakistan that have opened their operations to outside verification. With ISO 9001 and ISO/IEC 27001 achieved, ISO 45001 recommended and ISO 14001 under way, the authority is building a complete framework for quality, security, safety and sustainability as it expands Sahulat Bazaars and Sahulat-on-the-Go markets across Punjab’s tehsils.
PSBA described its direction as “services that are certified, affordable, safe, secure and sustainable.”
