Daily Times

As the forex-strapped country grappled with history’s worst economic crisis, Federal Government announced the shutting down of shopping malls and markets at 8:30 p.m. and Wedding Halls and Hotels at 10:00 p.m. from 1st July, intending to save precious energy amid high costs of imports, soaring inflation and depleting forex exchange reserves and remittances. The import bill of oil needed to generate energy in Pakistan is the highest on the list. The attempt to rein in the visible waste of this prized resource has once again been resisted by the traders who claim that this will seriously affect their businesses. Power generation has always remained on top of the country’s plights. The closing of markets early will help the government save energy in this crippling and challenging time. In the late nineties, a similar decision of limiting the conspicuous expenditure on wedding receptions also faced similar resistance from the hotel managers, caterers, poultry breeders and other food suppliers.

Roasted lamb legs, dumpukht, fried fish, chicken tikka, beef seekh kabaabs, chicken karahi, mutton joints and Qorma etc along with eleven different types of salads, freshly made jalebi and gulab jamnas and a variety of other desserts were being served to guests. This is not the description of the feast hosted by a local Maharajah to a Mughal king but was the menu of an ordinary wedding in Pakistan before the promulgation of The Marriages (Prohibition of Wasteful Expenses) Ordinance XLVIII, 1997. An ostentation of vulgar wealth at wedding ceremonies had gone to “absurd lengths” in the days before 1997. The breathtakingly extravagant, exotic and elaborate reception dinners had ensued a rat race and people belonging to every economic class were forced to spend a significant amount of their savings in a matter of hours to keep pace with Jones.

Sleeping till noon and staying up till dawn disturbs the natural sleep cycle.

Many in this Islamic nation breathed a sigh of relief for the ban which made it illegal to entertain wedding guests with anything more than a cup of tea or a cold drink initially and later a single dish was allowed to make it more practical. Bringing the nation from a voluptuous menu to a single dish was also a huge task achieved by the then PML(N) government. The idea to limit the costs of wedding receptions had loomed for years, but no one had given serious thought to it. The then PML(N) government took the initiative and it was welcomed as well as hated by many across the country. Twenty-five years down the road, the nation is finally tuned to close down the wedding receptions at 10:00 p.m. which continued till the dawn before 1997.

As a third-world country, Pakistan can ill afford any wasteful activity. Be it wastage of food, water, electricity, fuel or any other precious resource. not only because it costs us money but also because our coming generations also have rights over these resources. We have to save for the sake of our children and it is a religious obligation as well.

The unequivocal stance of the government in 1997 helped to kill the resistance eventually and the ban continues till today proving that where there is a will, there is a way. People have grown accustomed to the allowed menu options and they will eventually tune themselves to go shopping in the allowed hours as well. All over the world, daylight saving time has become a norm. Europe where the sun shines till 10:00 p.m. in summers, shopping malls and markets are closed at 5:00 p.m. We have to make our nation realize that Islam abhors extravagance. According to a Hadith, even if the water is flowing from north to south, its waste during ablution (wahoo) is prohibited. The logic behind this is to develop a habit of conserving valuable resources. During the COVID bans, we have witnessed a clearer sky, a healthier air to breathe, lesser traffic jams and more family time for everyone. Shutting down will have to be implemented in letter and spirit besides a media campaign highlighting its positive effects on social life and the environment. Sleeping till noon and staying up till dawn disturbs the natural sleep cycle and, therefore has serious repercussions for mental health as well. If we want our children to live happily in this country, we have to change our habits. The sooner we change, the better it will be.

The writer is a public policy practioner and has special interest in social issues.