Karachi’s Traders Openly Challenge Govt’s Decision on Market Timings

Businessmen from Karachi have challenged the government’s proposal to close marketplaces and marriage halls early as part of an energy-saving strategy. The traders showed concerns regarding the government’s energy-saving plan, which called for the early closing of markets and other public venues at 8:00 p.m. Most of the traders condemned the government’s move, calling it an ‘economic murder’ of businessmen by closing marketplaces and marriage halls early. The head of the All Pakistan Anjuman Tarjan (APAT) emphasized that inflation and increasing energy and gasoline prices had already aggravated people’s concerns. Ajmal Baloch requested that the authorities reverse the move immediately. He said that the administration is crippling the traders with such non-sense decisions, adding that electricity is most expensive between 6 to 8 pm. Defense Minister, Khawaja Asif, along with other federal ministers, held a news conference to inform the media of decisions made in this regard. It was determined during the session that all markets and retail malls across the country will close at 8 p.m., he said. He did, however, say that restaurants can extend their timings by an hour at maximum. The federal minister also stated that the administration will consult with all four provinces on energy concerns and that the full plan would be released with consensus by Thursday.