Islamabad (Web Desk): The Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures has proposed extending selected austerity policies until June 30, 2026, and approved revised business hours for standalone grocery and kiryana shops nationwide.
The recommendations were finalized during a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar.
During the meeting, the committee examined requests submitted by different ministries and government divisions seeking exemptions from certain austerity-related restrictions before reaching its decisions.
Deputy Prime Minister / Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar @MIshaqDar50 chaired a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures.
— Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (@DPM_PK) June 10, 2026
The Committee reviewed several cases submitted by various Ministries and… pic.twitter.com/22XYEe39S2
As part of efforts to improve public services, the committee agreed that consular attestation facilities provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat and Lahore, will continue operating on Fridays.
The participants also endorsed an extension of the additional austerity measures that were originally due to expire on June 13, 2026.
Under the recommendation, these measures will remain effective through the end of June.
In another move, the committee approved extending the operating hours of independent grocery and kiryana stores, allowing them to stay open until 10:00pm every day of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays.
The meeting was attended by the federal ministers overseeing petroleum, climate change, and information technology and telecommunications, as well as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM)) on Finance, the Special Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister (SADPM), secretaries from the cabinet, commerce, petroleum, and IT ministries, and senior representatives from the relevant government departments.
The federal government had earlier announced revised operating hours for businesses as part of its ongoing fuel-saving campaign and instructed provincial administrations to ensure the new rules are properly enforced.
Under the updated policy, commercial centres, shopping malls, markets, and other retail businesses are required to shut down by 9:00pm. Food outlets, including restaurants and cafés, have been granted permission to remain open until 11:00pm.
The restrictions do not apply to takeaway and home-delivery operations, which are allowed to continue beyond the designated closing hours. Meanwhile, wedding halls and event venues will continue following the existing schedule, closing at 10:00pm.
Several essential sectors have been kept outside the scope of these measures. Pharmacies, hospitals, petrol stations, as well as information technology and telecommunications services, will continue operating without being affected by the revised timings.
The committee overseeing the policy also called on provincial governments to work closely with federal authorities to ensure the regulations are implemented effectively across the country.
The energy-conservation measures were first introduced in April as part of a broader effort to reduce fuel consumption amid increasing energy costs, which were largely driven by tensions in the Middle East.
Ahead of Eidul Adha, however, the government temporarily relaxed some of the restrictions, with both federal and provincial authorities granting a number of exemptions during May.