Federal govt extends closing times for markets, restaurants

Lead

The federal government has extended the operating hours of shops, markets, restaurants, and other commercial outlets, citing longer daylight hours and rising summer temperatures. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, according to multiple reports from Dawn.

Under the revised schedule, shops, markets, malls, and general retail will close at 9pm; restaurants, cafes, and eateries at 11pm, with takeaway and delivery services exempt; and marriage halls and event venues at 10pm, unchanged from previous timings. Essential services, including pharmacies, hospitals, fuel stations, and IT and telecom-related services, are exempt from these closing times, as reported by Dawn.

Coverage Comparison

Dawn reported the initial extension on Tuesday, noting the committee's directive to provincial governments to ensure effective implementation in coordination with federal authorities. The following day, the newspaper covered the Prime Minister's formal approval of the revised timings, as announced in a Cabinet Division notification shared by Deputy PM Dar on social media. That notification listed specific exemptions for pharmacies, medical supply stores, laboratories, clinics, hospitals, bakeries, tandoors, milk and dairy shops, fuel pumps, electric vehicle charging stations, gyms, sports facilities, IT companies, and call centres.

In a separate development, the Senate Secretariat terminated all "Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures" with immediate effect, returning to a regular five-day work week from June 22. This rollback, according to a notification reported by Dawn, followed a US-Iran deal and a subsequent reduction in fuel prices. However, the Prime Minister's approval of the termination explicitly kept the market timings specified in notifications of June 3 and 10 in place.

Key Claims

• The federal government extended operating hours for commercial outlets, with new closing times of 9pm for shops and markets, 11pm for restaurants, and 10pm for marriage halls, as reported by Dawn.
• The extension was attributed to longer daylight hours and rising summer temperatures, per the Cabinet Division notification.
• The austerity measures were initially announced on March 9 in response to the global energy crisis triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during the Middle East war, Dawn reported.
• The austerity package included a 50% reduction in fuel allowance for official vehicles, grounding 60% of official vehicles, and a ban on foreign visits by ministers and officials, with exemptions for operational vehicles and essential visits.
• The working week for government offices was reduced to four days (Monday to Thursday), though banks and essential services were not affected.
• The Senate Secretariat terminated all fuel conservation measures effective June 22, following the US-Iran deal and lower fuel prices, according to Dawn.