News regarding this were first heard of last month, apparently the govt is seriously conisdeing it. Initially I feel it’s a good step. But I wonder how the public will take it. DST was introduced for the first time in 2004/5 but there was no use as people continued to carry on according to “old time” rendering it useless and pointless.
I think particularly with the power crisis faced and warnings being issued about the coming summer to be the worst ever in load-shedding history, it’s logical to have a 5 day week and introducing a prescribed end to a day’s work like many other civilized countries. But I hope the govt is stern in implemenation if it’s serious and I hope it’s all explained well to the people so they can absorb what and why, or else even this could be declared a jewish, american, antiIslam, mush-army plan 
http://dawn.com/2007/01/17/top3.htm
Five-day week, trade till dusk under study
The government on Tuesday considered staggering industrial holidays, closing businesses after sunset, two official weekly holidays and subsidising energy-saving electrical appliances to manage energy crisis, but asked the power utilities to present the impact of each measure within this week to enable it to reach a final decision.
A meeting presided over by Minister for Water and Power Liaquat Ali Jatoi also deliberated over Wapda’s difficulties to make full payments to the fuel suppliers and independent power producers and asked the utility to present a report on its income stream and running expenditures to determine why the problem should spill over to the private sector.
At his end, the minister assured the IPPs that they would get their full payments within the contracted payment schedule even if he had to get the funds released directly from the prime minister as special arrangement but this issue should not be a cause for reducing or interrupting their supplies.
The meeting, held to prepare for up to a 2000mw of energy shortage starting May 2007 and onwards, was attended by secretary water and power Ashfaq Mehmood and advisor Riaz Ahamd Khan and all the power sector stakeholders, including heads of Wapda and KESC and generation and distribution companies and independent power producers.
A senior government official told Dawn that Wapda had come up with a crisis management plan that envisaged two weekly holidays that could save about 300-400mw of energy while about another 300mw could be saved by closing down commercial activities after sunset.
The meeting also discussed restricting illuminations of marriage halls, banning all billboards, particularly of petrol pumps, and reducing the number of streetlights. Wapda estimated that about 800mw of energy needs could be met through these initiatives.Another official said the Private and Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) also had recommended two weekly holidays, no commercial activities after sunset, different tariffs for peak and off-peak power consumption through time of day meters, providing subsidy for energy saving devices like bulbs, lights and appliances.
The PPIB proposals, however, did not contain estimates of savings in this way.
Wapda and KESC were asked to work out details of each measure and their impact. They were also asked to first hold meetings with the industrial sector to ensure that instead of weekly off on Sundays throughout the country, some of them observe the weekly holiday on Fridays or on other days.
Similarly, their peak operations could also be staggered on a daily basis with consultation in accordance with the power generation capabilities.
Wapda was also asked to present a report on the impact of an earlier move to introduce time-of-day meters in the tubewell and industrial sector to see if such a programme for other sectors could be economically feasible.