Govt extends grocery hours to 10pm

ISLAMABAD:

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

Earlier this month, the federal government relaxed business closing hours as part of revised energy conservation measures, citing rising temperatures and longer summer daylight hours.

Under the changes announced on June 3, shops, markets and shopping malls were allowed to remain open until 9pm, while restaurants and food outlets could operate until 11pm. Marriage halls and marquees were permitted to stay open until 10pm.

The decisions were taken during a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, which also considered extending measures that were due to expire on June 13.

According to an official statement, the committee "reviewed several cases submitted by various Ministries and Divisions seeking exemptions from the applicability of certain austerity measures" and finalised its recommendations.

"It was also decided that Consular Attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat, and Lahore would remain operational on Fridays as well for public facilitation," the statement added.

The committee further recommended extending the duration of some austerity measures that were due to expire later this week.

"The committee further recommended extending the applicability period of those additional austerity measures whose expiry date had been notified as June 13, 2026 until June 30, 2026," the statement said.