Overview
- Relaxations that began Friday in Punjab and continued Saturday in Sindh expanded to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, while Islamabad kept existing hours after officials called a viral notice fake.
- Punjab set market hours in Lahore until 10 pm through June 1 under a temporary order issued by the deputy commissioner and the provincial administration.
- Sindh removed fixed closing times for shops, malls, restaurants, hotels, food outlets, wedding halls and marquees, allowing normal schedules to resume.
- Officials said the changes answer trader demands and aim to lift sales during the peak pre‑Eid period, a night‑heavy shopping window in Pakistan’s cities.
- The early‑closure rules were introduced in April to save energy during a fuel price shock tied to Middle East tensions, and authorities continue to urge conservation such as limiting decorative lighting and heavy air‑conditioning use.