Govt allows grocery stores to stay open till 10pm

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday extended a set of austerity measures until June 30 and allowed standalone grocery and kiryana stores to remain open until 10pm after a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, which also reviewed measures that had been due to expire on June 13. According to an official statement, the committee considered multiple cases from ministries and divisions seeking exemptions from some of the restrictions and finalised its recommendations.

Earlier this month, the federal government had already relaxed business closure timings under revised energy conservation measures, citing higher temperatures and longer daylight hours during summer. Under the changes announced on June 3, shops, markets and shopping malls were allowed to remain open until 9pm, while restaurants and food outlets were permitted to operate until 11pm. Marriage halls and marquees were allowed to stay open until 10pm.

Official statement

According to the official statement issued after the meeting, the committee examined requests for relief from different departments and ministries.

"The committee reviewed several cases submitted by various Ministries and Divisions seeking exemptions from the applicability of certain austerity measures," the statement read. It also said consular attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat, and Lahore would continue to operate on Fridays as well to facilitate the public.

The committee also recommended continuing those additional austerity measures whose notified expiry date was June 13, 2026 until June 30, 2026.