Govt extends business closing hours citing extended daylight

• Shops, markets, malls outlets to close by 9pm.
• Restaurants allowed to operate until 11pm.
• Essential services remain exempt nationwide.
  

The federal government on Tuesday relaxed restrictions on business hours, citing longer daylight hours and rising temperatures during the summer season.

The decision was made during a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, according to a statement issued by the office of the DPM.

Shops, markets, malls and general retail outlets will now close at 9pm, while restaurants, cafes and eateries will be allowed to operate until 11pm.

Takeaway and delivery services will remain exempt from the restriction.

However, marriage halls and event venues would continue to close at 10pm, with no change in their existing timings.

Essential services, including pharmacies, hospitals, fuel stations, and IT and telecom-related services, remain exempted from the revised closing hours.

The committee also directed provincial governments to ensure effective implementation of the guidelines in coordination with federal authorities.

Ministers for petroleum, climate change, information, and IT and telecommunications, as well as the special assistants to the prime minister and to the DPM, attended the meeting.

Secretaries of commerce, cabinet, petroleum, and IT and telecommunications, along with senior officials from provincial governments, also participated.

The federal and provincial governments imposed restrictions on business operating hours across the country in April as part of energy conservation measures introduced in response to a sharp rise in domestic fuel prices triggered by tensions in the Middle East.

The restrictions formed part of the federal government's broader austerity and fuel-conservation strategy aimed at reducing energy consumption amid escalating fuel costs.

Last month, however, the measures were temporarily relaxed ahead of Eid ul Adha, observed from May 27 to 29.

On May 18, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved an exemption from business closure timings nationwide until May 31, allowing commercial centres to operate without the previously imposed restrictions.

The move followed similar relaxations announced by provincial governments. In Punjab, authorities extended relaxed operating hours for markets and commercial centres until June 1, suspending the mandatory 8pm closure requirement.

Likewise, the Sindh government on May 16 exempted markets, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels and marriage halls from fixed closing times to facilitate economic activity and provide relief to traders and the public.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan governments had also lifted restrictions on market timings and business hours, bringing an end to the energy-saving measures.