Markets and malls to shut by 8pm nationwide except Sindh under energy-saving plan

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided that markets and shopping malls across the country, except in Sindh, will close by 8pm as part of measures aimed at conserving energy.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.

The statement said the new closing time would apply to markets and shopping malls in Punjab, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, as well as in most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

It added, however, that markets located in divisional headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would be permitted to remain open until 9pm.

According to the PM Office statement, consultations are continuing on the issue of business hours for markets in Sindh. As a result, the province has been kept outside the scope of the 8pm closure decision for now.

Decision taken in energy conservation meeting

The move forms part of the government’s broader energy conservation steps discussed during the meeting led by the prime minister. The official statement said the decision covered commercial centres and shopping malls in the specified regions, while Sindh’s market timings were still under discussion.

The PM Office statement outlined a province- and region-wise approach, under which divisional headquarters in KP would follow a different schedule from the rest of the province. In those divisional headquarters, businesses will be allowed to operate for an additional hour compared to other areas covered by the decision.

For the rest of KP, along with Punjab, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the statement said markets and shopping malls would close by 8pm.

The government decided on Monday that markets and shopping malls in the country, barring those in Sindh, would close by 8pm as part of energy conservation measures.

The statement further noted that consultations were under way regarding market business hours in Sindh, indicating that a separate decision for the province may follow after those discussions are completed.

No further details were provided in the statement beyond the announced timings and the areas where the decision will apply.