Islamabad: The governments in Pakistan’s Sindh and Punjab provinces ordered all commercial markets, shopping malls and stores to close by 9pm.
The reduced hours are part of measures announced by the government to conserve energy amid prolonged power outages across the country as extreme heatwave exacerbated the energy shortage across Pakistan.
“Markets, bazaars and business centres of Punjab will be closed at 9 pm. Restaurants and marriage halls will remain open till 11.30pm and 10pm, respectively,” said Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz. Medical stores, fuel stations and essential services will be exempted from restrictions. The decision was taken after discussion with the business community which was assured that the business hours would remain relaxed on Saturdays.
The Punjab government’s decision came a day after the Sindh government said it is reducing business hours in a bid to conserve electricity. All markets, bazaars, shops and shopping malls would have to close by 9pm, according to the official notification. However medical stores, pharmacies, hospitals, fuel pumps, bakeries and milk shops would be exempted from the restriction. Meanwhile, marriage halls and event timings would be restricted to 10:30 pm while hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and cafes would have to shut down by 11pm.
Work from home
In the first week of June, Pakistan’s new coalition government announced measures to conserve energy and save fuel. The government restored the five-day working week and said it would give priority to virtual meetings. Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province decided to allow public sector employees to work from home on Fridays to deal with the rising prices of electricity and fuel.
