Current time in Karachi, Pakistan
The current local time in Karachi is shown below. Karachi observes PKT.
Daylight saving time
Karachi does not observe daylight saving time. The local offset is fixed year-round.
Sunrise & sunset today
Timezone facts
- Timezone
- Asia/Karachi
- Standard abbreviation
- PKT
- Observes daylight saving
- No
- Country
- 🇵🇰 Pakistan
- Business hours
- 09:00 – 17:00 local
Karachi in context
Karachi sits on the Arabian Sea coast in southeastern Pakistan, the largest Pakistani city by population (around 17 million in the metropolitan area) and the principal port and commercial centre of the country. The city extends along approximately 60 kilometres of coastline at the western edge of the Indus River delta, with Port Qasim handling the bulk of Pakistani trade and Jinnah International Airport serving as the country's main long-haul gateway.
Timezone history of Karachi
Karachi uses Pakistan Standard Time at UTC+5 year-round. Pakistan briefly experimented with DST in 2002, 2008, and 2009, but the practice was discontinued amid public confusion and limited demonstrated energy savings. The fixed offset places Pakistan an hour ahead of the Gulf states and 30 minutes behind India's UTC+5:30, producing the unusual situation of half-hour time differences across both eastern and western borders.
Working hours in Karachi
Karachi's working week typically runs Monday to Friday or Monday to Saturday depending on the sector, with office hours of 09:00 to 17:30. Friday prayers between approximately 12:30 and 14:00 are accommodated by most employers, with the lunch break extended on that day. The traffic congestion of Karachi is notorious, regularly extending commutes well beyond the formal working day. Public holidays include the Islamic festivals shifting through the year, Pakistan Day on 23 March, and Independence Day on 14 August.