Government expands austerity drive

PM forms special committee headed by Dar to monitor progress; Friday declared weekly additional holiday
Islamabad
Facing rising fuel costs, the federal and provincial governments have introduced a range of austerity steps — from declaring an additional weekly holiday to cutting free petrol for ministers, limiting protocol vehicles and proposing subsidised fuel for students — even as global oil prices show signs of easing after recent market volatility.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad today to review the implementation of steps designed to conserve energy and curb government spending in light of shifting global economic conditions.
Following the meeting, authorities announced that Friday would be observed as an additional weekly holiday to help reduce fuel use and electricity demand.
Addressing participants, PM Shehbaz said the government was making every effort to maintain economic stability despite challenging international circumstances.
To oversee implementation, the government formed a special committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to monitor progress on a daily basis and report directly to the prime minister.
The premier also directed that the impact of the austerity measures be assessed through a third-party audit to ensure transparency and evaluate their effectiveness. All ministries and divisions were instructed to enforce policies promoting simplicity, cost-cutting and energy conservation.
In order to ensure the proper implementation of austerity campaign, government departments must submit photographic evidence of vehicles withdrawn from official use. Ministries were also asked to provide reports to the Prime Minister’s Office outlining how work-from-home arrangements were being implemented.
Officials said at the meeting that federal ministries and divisions would submit daily and weekly reports on energy conservation efforts and workforce management to the oversight committee.