All four provinces agree in principle; Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab ask for two days to consult traders
news desk
ISLAMABAD
The National Economic Council (NEC) has decided to close markets across the country at 8:30pm. The decision was taken during the NEC meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The meeting was attended by chief ministers of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was represented by its chief secretary Dr Shehzad Khan. During the meeting, the provincial chief ministers were apprised of the proposals and decisions taken during the June 7, 2022 meeting of the federal cabinet to deal with the energy crisis in the country.
The chief ministers agreed with the federal government’s proposal to close the markets at 8.30pm. Meanwhile, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan have asked for two days to implement the decision as they wish to consult the traders’ association in their provinces. The chief ministers also backed the decisions of the federal cabinet on nationwide measures to deal with the energy crisis and assured their full cooperation in tackling the energy crisis.
Power Minister Khurrum Dastagir, addressing a press conference, said that the early closure of markets and work-from-home arrangements can save electricity. “The electricity being produced in the country is 22,000 MW and the production is 26,000 MW,” said the minister.
The energy shortfall in the country is 4,000 MW. He also said that the industrial sector was being provided with power uninterruptedly and that 1,100 MW will be added to the national grid once the K-2 Nuclear Power Plant starts production.
