Lahore High Court ordered that markets and restaurants in the city should be closed at 10 pm on Wednesday. The decision came to control smog in the densely populated provincial capital.

The decision will apply not just to markets but to restaurants as well. The court also ordered that schools should remain closed on Friday and any school that violated the order should be sealed.

However, the court made a relaxation for markets and restaurants on weekends, where they would be allowed to operate till 11pm.

Smog in Lahore has emerged as a regular problem in recent years. However, this year pollution has reached unprecedented levels, and the city has been classified among the most polluted in the world.

Authorities have discussed multiple proposals including stricter check on vehicles that emit a higher-than-acceptable amount of fumes from fuel consumption. Schools have also been moved towards winter holidays before time.

However, the main intervention producing results has been finding ways to decrease the number of vehicles on the road by announcing general holidays.