The government extends austerity measures until June 30 and facilitates business hours

The government on Wednesday extended a series of austerity measures till June 30 and allowed grocery and kiryana shops to remain open till 10 pm, following a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad.

Earlier this month, the federal government relaxed business closing hours as part of revised energy conservation measures, citing rising temperatures and increasing summer daylight hours. According to the changes announced on June 3, shops, markets and shopping centers will be able to remain open until 9:00 p.m., while restaurants and food establishments will be able to operate until 11:00 p.m. Marriage halls and tents were allowed to remain open till 10 pm.

The decisions were made during a meeting of the Committee for the Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, which also considered extending the measures that were due to expire on June 13.

According to an official statement, the committee “examined several cases submitted by various ministries and divisions seeking exemptions from the applicability of certain austerity measures” and finalized its recommendations.

“It was also decided that consular certification services at the Ministry of External Affairs and its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat and Lahore would remain operational on Fridays also for public facilitation,” the statement added.

Read: Government revises market hours, citing longer daylight hours and rising temperatures

The committee also recommended extending the duration of some austerity measures that were due to expire at the end of this week.

“The committee further recommended extending the period of applicability of those additional austerity measures whose expiry date had been notified on June 13, 2026 until June 30, 2026,” the statement said.

In a move affecting retailers, the committee approved revised business hours for independent supermarkets and neighborhood convenience stores.

“The committee also decided to extend the closing hours of independent grocery and kiryana stores until 10pm on all days of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays,” the statement said.

The meeting was attended by the Ministers of Petroleum, Climate Change and IT and Telecommunications; the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Finance; the Special Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister (SADPM); the Secretaries of Cabinet, Commerce, Petroleum and IT and Telecommunications; as well as senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant Ministries and Divisions.

Read more: ICT impose early closure of markets

Austerity

The austerity measures were introduced after a sharp escalation in tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States disrupted global energy markets. Following the military exchanges and Iran’s subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz, international oil prices soared, increasing Pakistan’s import bill and putting pressure on domestic fuel prices.

In response, the government raised oil prices several times, with the steepest increases recorded in April. Officials said the adjustments were necessary to reflect higher international oil prices and ensure fuel supplies remained uninterrupted.

In March, to curb fuel consumption and reduce energy costs, the federal government imposed a series of austerity measures in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. These included earlier closures of markets and shopping centres, an extra weekly holiday for government offices, cuts to free fuel allowances for ministers and restrictions on the use of official vehicles.

Restrictions were temporarily eased before Eid, but were reinstated from April 1 as the government attempted to manage the impact of the ongoing fuel crisis.