NEC decides in principle to close markets at 8:30 pm

The National Economic Council (NEC) on Wednesday decided in principle to close markets across the country at 8:30 pm in order to conserve energy, Aaj News reported.

The NEC meeting comes a day after President Arif Alvi approved the reconstitution of the body with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as chairman.

The meeting was attended by chief ministers of Balochistan, Sindh and Punjab while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was represented by its chief secretary Dr Shehzad Khan.

The chief ministers appreciated the steps taken by the federal government to deal with the energy crisis and the four provinces agreed in principle on the proposal to close the markets at 8.30 pm.

Chief ministers of Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab have sought two-days time for the implementation of the decision as they wish to consult the traders’ association in their provinces.

The chief ministers also backed the federal cabinet's decisions on nationwide measures to deal with the energy crisis and assured their full cooperation in this regard.

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In a separate development, PM Shehbaz asserted that tough decisions were taken to stabilise the country’s economy.

In a series of tweets, the prime minister noted that the coalition government has taken some difficult decisions to stabilise the economy.

“We didn’t care for their impact on our political capital, for doing so is in the best interest of Pakistan,” PM Shehbaz added.

“For how long will we continue to be consumed by our narrow interests at the cost of national duties?” the premier asked.