Business community detests 'royal decree' to shut markets early.

KARACHI -- Traders, restaurant owners and members of the business community on Wednesday rejected the government's plans to shut down markets at 8:30pm.

The federal cabinet had on Tuesday approved the National Energy Conservation Plan, introducing certain measures to ensure judicious utilisation of national resources, including early closure of markets and restaurants and stopping unnecessary use of electric appliances in all government offices.

In a meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the cabinet had decided to implement the Energy Conservation Plan across the country with immediate effect on the advice of the Power Division. The government had hoped the plan would ensure saving worth hundreds of billions of rupees.

Unveiling the salient features of the austerity plan at a media briefing after the cabinet meeting, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said that energy-saving reforms were being introduced across the country. He had urged people to change their habits in order to conserve energy.

'We need to change our lifestyle with reference to the use of energy. Our habits are different from the rest of the world. We generate our own energy, instead of natural energy, which incurs production cost,' the defence minister had told reporters.

According to the energy conservation plan, restaurants, hotels, and markets would close by 8:30pm, while wedding halls by 10pm. Besides, the production of incandescent light bulbs and inefficient electricity fans would be stopped. The government also planned to levy additional duty on inefficient electric fans.

'With this initiative [early markets closure], which has been taken in consultation with trade bodies, there will be a saving of around Rs62 billion [annually],' Asif had said. 'The plan has been discussed with the business community and they agree to this initiative,' he...