Defense Minister Khawaja Asif reported on the measure at a press conference at the end of the executive meeting and assured that it would come into force immediately across the country.
Among the austerity measures, the closure of markets and malls from 8:30 p.m. or that of wedding halls from 10:00 p.m. in consultation with commercial organizations stands out and will allow savings of around 62 billion rupees (about US$273 million), said the senior official.
However, the order was not well received by the Pakistan Traders Organization, which through its president Ajmal Baloch, announced they would not be complying with the new opening hours, dismissing that slowing the economy was a good way to encourage austerity.
The meeting of the Council of Ministers came at a time when Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves barely cover a month’s worth of imports, most of which are energy purchases from other countries with the help of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Meanwhile, government agencies have also been urged to reduce electricity consumption by 30 percent and prevent the use of inadequate lighting and appliances.
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