Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik has urged Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz to extend gym operating hours to 10pm, sparking a wave of mixed reactions online.
Taking to X, Malik wrote, “Respected CM @MaryamNSharif, while timely regulation of businesses is a welcome step, I reckon gyms and fitness centers deserve special consideration. Many office-goers work out after duty hours only. Health is as important as food, and extending gym timings to 22:00 as well would support a fitter Pakistan.”
Respected CM @MaryamNSharif, while timely regulation of businesses is a welcome step, I reckon gyms and fitness centers deserve special consideration. Many office-goers work out after duty hours only. Health is as important as food, and extending gym timings to 22:00 as well…
— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) April 27, 2026
The post drew strong reactions online, with many pushing back on Malik’s appeal. “Elites have their own problems. Fitness doesn’t need a gym. You can work out without a gym to keep fit,” one user wrote. Another quipped, “Shoaib, why don’t you get up at 5am?” A third user pointed to more pressing concerns, writing: “There is no electricity, no water, no food for the people, but what does it care about?”
Others sided with Malik. “Very good point boss,” one user wrote, while another said, “Thank you for raising this issue.”
Malik, 43, retired from international cricket in July 2024 after a career spanning over two decades.
The appeal comes after the federal government introduced sweeping austerity measures in response to a fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran, which disrupted oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
From April 7, markets and shopping malls across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir were ordered to close by 8pm, with restaurants and food outlets shutting at 10pm.
In a revised notification issued on April 16, the Islamabad administration extended the restrictions to gyms and sports facilities, also requiring them to close by 8pm. All restrictions remain in force until further orders.
He retired from Test cricket in 2015 and from ODI cricket after the 2019 World Cup, before playing his final international T20 in 2021. Across formats, he scored 7,534 runs in 287 ODIs, 1,898 runs in 35 Tests and 2,435 runs in 124 T20 Internationals, making him one of the sixth-highest run-scorers in T20 cricket overall with 13,571 runs across all T20 competitions at a strike rate of 127.24.
