That there is a need for conserving energy is a fact, which cannot be overemphasised in view of a variety of highly plausible reasons. What’s wrong if all commercial activities in big and small cities are brought to a halt every day by sunset or one hour later. Not only will this help reduce consumption of electricity markedly, it will also help curtail use of petroleum and products.

The traders’ community, which is against early closure of markets, must not lose sight of the fact that we have already compromised national energy security due to a host of reasons, including our fast depleting foreign exchange reserves that we always need to buy oil and other items from global markets.

The situation requires all of us to tighten our belts. The government has to lead the nation in this regard. It must reduce its current expenditure in a meaningful manner to set a healthy precedent. Efforts must be made to attract FDI on a large scale.

Exports are needed to be boosted in order to fetch more foreign currency. Remittances, too, deserve attention. The government is required to pull its socks up without any loss of time. Last but not least, Punjab government deserves praise for embarking on an energy conservation plan in a big way. According to it, all businesses will remain closed on Sundays.

Ahmed Bashir (Lahore)

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022