Web Desk — November 4, 2025
Lahore: The Punjab government has decided to strictly implement fixed market hours to reduce smog and air pollution, enforcing a September 2023 notification.
Under the rules:
- Markets close at 10 PM Monday to Saturday.
- On Sundays, business from 2 PM to 10 PM.
- Restaurants and cafes shut by 11 PM, except Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (till midnight).
- Home delivery allowed until 2 AM.
Exemptions apply to medical stores, bakeries, milk shops, hospitals, labs, petrol pumps, and puncture shops.
The Lahore High Court proposed a one-month trial of complete commercial shutdown on Sundays and urged zero traffic for five minutes daily to curb pollution.
The move aims to cut emissions from late-night operations amid Lahore’s severe smog crisis.
