LAHORE: The government has exempted various businesses, including sports facilities, from the closure timings across the province following public complaints and demands.

According to a notification issued by the services and general administration department, the businesses that have been exempted from the closure timings include sports facilities, including gyms, IT companies and call centres.

“In continuation of the notification issued on April 6, 2026, sports facilities, including gyms, as well as IT companies and call centres engaged with international clients, are hereby exempted from the prescribed closure timings,” reads the notification.

Previously, according to an official source, the aforementioned businesses were not mentioned in the closure timings notification and thus created confusion among the officers concerned and the businesses. “The Pera teams led by the assistant commissioners or other officers concerned used to get these businesses, including sports activities closed at 8pm daily. In various cases reported in media, the teams allegedly harassed the people while getting the businesses, closed forcibly,” the official requesting anonymity explained while talking to Dawn on Tuesday.

In a surprising raid, a team led by a woman assistant commissioner visited a bakery at 10pm or so, advising its management to close business. The team returned when the [bakery] staff told the officials that the bakeries and some other businesses are exempt from the closure time.

“Since there was a confusion, the Lahore admin took up the issue with the quarters concerned in the Punjab government. And finally the government resolved this issue, exempting the sports activities and some other businesses,” he maintained.

According to the notification issued last month, all commercial markets, shopping malls, shops (wholesale and retail) shall close their business by 10pm from Monday to Saturday while on Sunday, all of these businesses shall operate from 2pm to 10pm. Similarly, all restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and other eateries will be permitted to operate till 12am midnight from Friday to Sunday and at 11pm on Monday to Thursday.

Furthermore, the home delivery service shall be permitted till 2am only. The businesses exempt under the last month’s notification from the closure timings included medical stores and pharmacies, hospitals, laboratories, petrol pumps, CNG stations, milk shops, tandoors and puncture shops.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2026