LAHORE: Responding to traders’ protests and appeals by the shopping malls association and general public to revise 8pm business closure timings, the Punjab government has granted partial relief and lifted the restriction on market timings until June 1.

The implementation and coordination wing of the Services and General Administration Department (S&GAD), the Punjab government on Friday notified that “all the shops, markets, shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and food outlets are exempted from the prescribed closure timings till June 1, 2026”.

On April 6, the federal government had announced that all markets across the country, barring Sindh, would close by 8pm throughout the week as part of energy conservation measures amid a global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

Complying with the federal government’s decision, Punjab notified that all shops, markets and shopping malls shall be closed at 8pm, including Saturday and Sunday.

However, the government had exempted pharmacies, medical stores, medical supply stores, medical laboratories and hospitals from the order of early closure. Similarly, petrol pumps, CNG stations, as well as tandoors, bakeries and milk/dairy shops were exempt from the closure order.

The notification had added that all hotels, restaurants and food outlets shall be closed by 10pm. However, there was no restriction on takeaway and home delivery services. It further stated that all marriage halls and marriage functions, including those organised at residences and farmhouses, shall be closed by 10pm. The latest notification did not explain the status of these closure timings.

The decision had drawn a strong reaction from the traders and public alike as they found that 8pm closure timings for markets were highly detrimental. Considering the weather and culture, the traders and public stressed to the government that the 8pm and 10pm timings for markets and food outlets, respectively, were too short.

People also contested that those reaching home from their offices by 6pm could not then shop at any market that was closing by 8pm. Traders and citizens also argued that the government should explain how much energy was being saved.

It should be noted that on Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended the countrywide austerity drive — launched in March in the wake of the global oil crisis — to June 13.

The measures include a 50 per cent reduction in fuel allowance for official vehicles, with an exemption for operational vehicles such as ambulances and public buses.

Other steps include grounding 60pc of official vehicles and a complete ban on foreign visits by ministers and government officials, except those deemed essential in the national interest, as previously specified.