KARACHI: The business community in Karachi has agreed to close shops and markets at 8 p.m. in order to save energy amid rising inflation.
On Thursday, Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon hosted a consultative meeting with representatives from the city administration and business organizations at his office.
He explained the federal government’s energy-saving policy in the face of rising fuel prices. He also enlisted the help of the traders.
Following the consultations, he announced that in the metropolis, shops and markets would close at 8 p.m., wedding halls at 10 p.m., and restaurants at 11 p.m.
The government has completed consultations with trade and business organizations on energy-saving measures, according to the commissioner.
The majority of trade associations present at the meeting pledged full cooperation in carrying out the government’s decision.
The National Economic Council (NEC) decided earlier this week to order the closing of markets across the country at 8:30 p.m.
The decision was made at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by the chief ministers of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, as well as the chief secretary of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Dr Shehzad Khan.
The chief ministers praised the federal government’s efforts to address the energy crisis, and the four provinces agreed to the proposal to close markets at 8:30 p.m.
The chief ministers of Sindh, Punjab, and Balochistan, on the other hand, requested a two-day period to consult with their respective trade associations, but all four provinces agreed in principle to the move.
