By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The federal government reimposed strict market-closing hours in Islamabad from Monday, ordering shops and malls to shut by 8 p.m. in a renewed push to rein in energy consumption — a measure that had been suspended for weeks to accommodate Eid Al-Adha celebrations, but that traders warn is gutting their livelihoods.
The order, issued late Sunday by the Islamabad Capital Territory’s district magistrate, takes effect June 1 and remains in force indefinitely. Restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, tandoors, meat vendors and fruit stalls are required to close by 10 p.m., as are wedding halls and marquees. Events held on private premises fall under the same curfew.
The directive exempts pharmacies, hospitals, petrol pumps, CNG stations, milk and dairy shops, sports facilities including gyms and padel courts, call centers and IT firms serving international clients. Takeaway and home-delivery services may continue past the 10 p.m. cutoff.
Pakistan originally introduced the market timing curbs in April, framing them as an emergency austerity measure after the U.S.-Iran conflict sent global petroleum prices sharply higher. The country, which imports the bulk of its energy needs, began enforcing early closures to limit fuel usage and ease pressure on electricity generation costs. The government subsequently suspended the restrictions ahead of Eid Al-Adha, granting traders a reprieve through May 31.
That window has now closed — and the business community made clear it has no appetite for another round of mandated shutdowns.
Kashif Chaudhry, president of the Central Association of Traders in Pakistan, issued a warning on Sunday, hours before the notification was published. “With the end of the Iran-U.S. war, there is no longer any justification for lockdowns,” he said in a statement. “If a lockdown is imposed after June 1, we will relaunch a nationwide protest movement.”
Chaudhry argued that an 8 p.m. cutoff is particularly punishing given Pakistan’s summer heat, which suppresses daytime commerce and means meaningful retail activity only begins around 7 p.m. “It is destroying businesses,” he said.
The government has defended the restrictions as necessary to protect lower-income households from elevated fuel costs and to stabilize electricity production expenses. Islamabad slashed petrol and diesel prices by 22 rupees per liter during Eid, describing the reduction as a gift to consumers — a signal that policymakers remain attuned to the political sensitivity of energy costs even as they reimpose supply-side curbs.
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