KARACHI: The Sindh government on Friday notified that all shops, markets, and shopping malls in Karachi and other divisional headquarters of the province will close at 9pm throughout the week, including Saturdays and Sundays, as part of austerity measures and in line with the federal government’s decision.

In a notification, the provincial government further stated that markets, shops, and shopping malls in distr­icts other than divisional headquarters will close at 8pm.

Tandoors (as standalone shops), milk and dairy shops, bakeries, medical stores and pharmacies, medical laboratories, clinics and hospitals, as well as fuel stations, will remain exempt from the order.

It further stated that hotels, restaurants, and food outlets will be allowed to operate between 7pm and 11:30pm for dinner timings. However, there will be no restriction on home delivery and takeaway services.

The notification further stated that all wedding halls and banquets in the province will operate between 8pm and midnight.

Sindh’s trading community, especially in Karachi, appears satisfied with the provincial government’s decision to close markets and malls by 9pm.

All Karachi Tajir Itehad Chairman Atiq Mir said, “We are ready to follow the government’s deadline of closing businesses by 9 pm in the larger interest of the country.”

He claimed that after a long time, the city’s traders and the government had unanimously agreed on the shutdown following meetings and consultations.

All City Tajir Ittehad Association Patron-in-Chief Muhammad Sharjeel Gopalani and Karachi Electronics Dealers Association President Mohammad Rizwan Irfan, while appreciating the government’s decision, said that although there was no restriction on opening markets early in the morning, traders would certainly try to open them between 9am and 10am and close their businesses by 9pm.

In the long run, they believe that consumers will become accustomed to the new market schedule.

Over the past month, the government has adopted a host of austerity measures in the wake of the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.

On April 6, the federal government, in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, decided that markets and shopping malls in the country, barring those in Sindh, would close by 8pm as part of energy conservation measures.

According to officials, Sindh’s business community had expressed serious concerns over the federal government’s decision to restrict business hours in the province, especially in Karachi.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah held a meeting with representatives of the business community and assured them that market timings in the province would be decided upon through consultation.

On April 5, the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments also announced energy conservation measures, with markets and shopping centres closing at 8pm except in divisional headquarters.

Later, on April 7, the Punjab government notified that all shops, markets, and shopping malls shall be closed at 8pm throughout the week, including Saturdays and Sundays

Aamir Shafaat Khan also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2026