Pakistan, May 17 — On Saturday, Sindh’s senior minister Sharjeel Memon stated that the provincial administration had removed fixed closing times for shops, markets, malls, hotels, restaurants, wedding venues, and tents to “support businesses and the public.”
As per the notice he posted on the social media platform X, all stores, markets, shopping centers, hotels, restaurants, food joints, wedding halls, and tents have been exempted from the 9pm closing rule, which was implemented last month. “This choice shows our dedication to economic development, public ease, and assistance to the business sector, which continues to be the foundation of our economy,” Memon stated. Last month, the Sindh administration announced that all shops, markets, and shopping malls in Karachi and other divisional headquarters of the province would shut at 9pm every day of the week.
On April 6, the federal administration declared that all markets nationwide, except in Sindh, would be required to shut down by 8pm each day during the week as part of energy-saving efforts due to a global fuel shortage caused by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. This announcement follows a decision made the previous day by the Punjab government, which provided some relief by removing restrictions on market hours until June 1. The move was a reaction to protests from traders and requests from shopping mall associations and the general public to adjust the 8pm closing time for businesses.
In addition, the Islamabad district administration denied a notice that was spreading on social media and affirmed that the current hours under the government’s austerity initiative will stay unchanged. It mentioned that no official notice has been released concerning any modification in business operating hours within the federal capital. A representative from the district administration stated that the notice being shared about alterations in business hours is false and has not been issued by any legitimate authority. This clarification followed a notice about updated timings that started circulating, causing confusion among merchants and business owners across various areas of the federal capital.
