Reporting snapshot · 6 April 2026. The closure timings were announced on 6 April and take effect on 7 April; Sindh had not yet fixed its business hours at the time of writing.
What happened
The federal government decided on Monday that markets and shopping malls across the country, except those in Sindh, will close by 8pm from April 7 as part of energy-conservation measures, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on petroleum products, his office said in a handout. Under the plan, markets, shopping malls, departmental stores and shops selling daily-use goods will close at 8pm in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Markets at divisional headquarters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will be allowed to remain open until 9pm, the statement said. Bakeries, restaurants, tandoors and other food outlets, as well as marriage halls, will close at 10pm, and wedding ceremonies at private homes will not be allowed to run beyond that hour. Medical stores and pharmacies are exempt from the timing restrictions.
The prime minister also announced that inter-city public transport in Gilgit and Muzaffarabad will be free for one month, with the federal government bearing the cost.
Sindh defers a decision
Sindh had yet to announce matching hours. Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah met representatives of the business community, including the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry, and said the provincial government wanted to take energy-conservation measures, according to a statement from his office.
He assured traders that market timings would be set after consultation with them and said their recommendations would be reviewed before being conveyed to the prime minister.
The federal decisions followed similar steps by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan governments a day earlier.
Why it matters
The measures are the latest attempt by the government to contain demand for imported fuel after the war in the Middle East pushed prices sharply higher. Petrol was raised to Rs458.41 per litre on April 2, an increase of Rs137.23, while diesel rose to Rs520.35 per litre, up by Rs184.49. A day later, Shehbaz reduced petrol to Rs378 per litre for a month and cut the petroleum levy by Rs80 per litre.
Shorter trading hours risk compounding the squeeze on small businesses and daily-wage workers, while the exemption for Sindh leaves the country’s largest commercial city on a separate timetable. Officials have framed the curbs as temporary and tied to global energy prices.
What is still uncertain
- Whether Sindh will adopt the same 8pm closure or settle on different hours after talks with traders.
- How the restrictions will be enforced, and whether the government will extend them beyond the initial period.
- Whether global oil and shipping conditions in the Strait of Hormuz ease enough for the curbs to be lifted.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-04-06.
- Geo News — "Fuel-saving measures: Markets, malls to shut at 8pm across Pakistan except Sindh"6 April 2026 · The PM Office handout, the 8pm and 10pm closures, the KP exception, the pharmacy exemption, the free transport announcement and the fuel-price background.
- The News International — "Fuel crisis: Markets, malls to close at 8pm across country except Sindh"6 April 2026 · Confirms the closure order, its April 7 start date and the earlier provincial measures.
- Dawn — "Markets, malls to close at 8pm across country, except Sindh, to conserve energy"6 April 2026 · Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah's meeting with business representatives and his assurance that timings would follow consultations.
