All Pakistan Anjuman Tajran (APAT) on Tuesday rejected the government's decision to close the shops at 8 pm in a bid to save energy, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

APAT president Ajmal Baloch called the decision of early closure of markets unjustified and unfair.  He said early closure of the markets is equivalent to the economic murder of the traders. He said that traders from across the country rejected the government’s decision and announced they would not implement these orders.

The president said that inflation and skyrocketing electricity and fuel prices have already increased the difficulties for the people. Ajmal Baloch asked the government to withdraw the decision immediately. He said the government has planned to bankrupt the business community before bankrupting the country. He said that the shopkeepers buy the most expensive electricity from 6 pm to 8 pm. The government has ruined the national economy in eight months, now, it has targeted the traders, he lamented.   

The government should not force the business community to protest, he added.