Shopkeepers worried about impact of 'smart lockdown' over fuel price rises

Описание: (8 Apr 2026)

FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4650755

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lahore, Pakistan - 7 April 2026
++NIGHT SHOTS++
1. Various of shops being closed at 8:00 p.m. after lockdown due to fuel shortage in Pakistan
2. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Bilal Mustafa, shopkeeper:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“The government should not order the closure of shops at 8:00 p.m., but it should be extended to 10:00 p.m. The shopkeepers should open their shops earlier at 10:00 a.m.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karachi, Pakistan - 8 April 2026
3. Various of essential commodities being loaded and unloaded at wholesale market in Karachi
4. Various of traders at Pakistan Stock Exchange and shots of screens
5. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Abdul Azeem, analyst:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“The entire world is now working on energy saving measures and implementing it. Pakistan’s government made the right decision to enforce energy saving measures to save the energy as the country imports most of its energy. It will reduce the import bill and be a positive step.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karachi, Pakistan - 7 April 2026
6. Various of motorcyclists filling petrol in their fuel tanks at petrol pump in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Karachi, Pakistan - 6 April 2026
7. Various of traders staging demonstration against petroleum products prices increase and holding placards reading (Urdu): “Curb the inflation storm and restore the old prices of petrol and diesel,“ “People demand reduction of the petrol price,“ “People are restless due to inflation.“
8. Various of protesters on donkey carts
9. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Javed Shams, Karachi Trader Association President:
++PARTIALLY COVERED++
“People of the country are very disturbed due to inflation. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the increase in petrol and diesel prices and traders' bodies be taken on board before taking any decision with regard to limited timings for opening of markets. The city of Karachi generates 67 percent of the country's revenue and 95 percent of the revenue of Sindh province. We will not accept any unjust decisions and demand that traders' bodies be taken on board before issuing any directives for the business community.”
++EDIT ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
Pakistan’s federal government has ordered markets and shopping malls to close in the country by 8:00 p.m., as a fuel crisis deepens in the region.

Shopkeepers have demanded some easing of the restrictions during shopping hours.

Bilal Mustafa, a shopkeeper, told The Associated Press “the government should not order closure of shop at 8:00 p.m., but it should be extended to 10:00 p.m.”

The Pakistani government had reviewed fuel and energy-conservation measures amid the US-Israel war on Iran.

Petrol and diesel prices in Pakistan rose by 50% due to the war and closure of the key Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Iran, the United States and Israel agreed to a two-week ceasefire on Tuesday, an 11th-hour deal that allowed U.S. President Donald Trump to pull back from his threats to unleash a bombing campaign that would destroy Iranian civilization.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s stock market jumped after the announcement of the ceasefire.

Shaharyar Butt, a stock analyst said, "the investors took it very positive and the stock market witnessed a historical 16,000 point increase after the announcement of the ceasefire.”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that Iran has confirmed it will attend talks with the United States on Friday in Islamabad.

It was not immediately clear who would represent Tehran at the negotiations.

AP Video by Muhammad Farooq


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