A meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, reviewed requests from various ministries and divisions seeking exemptions from certain austerity measures and finalised its recommendations.
The committee also decided that Consular Attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat and Lahore would continue operating on Fridays to facilitate the public.
In addition, the committee recommended extending the validity of additional austerity measures, which were previously set to expire on June 13, until June 30.
It was further decided that standalone grocery and kiryana stores would be allowed to remain open until 10:00pm throughout the week, including Saturdays and Sundays.
Meanwhile, the Senate of Pakistan has returned Rs1.436 billion to the national exchequer after implementing a broad austerity and expenditure rationalisation campaign under the direction of Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani.
According to an official statement, the savings exceeded the target set by the Finance Division by 500 per cent and represent 15.9 per cent of the Senate’s total budget for the fiscal year 2025-26.
The cost-cutting measures were initially introduced in the chairman’s office and later expanded across the Senate Secretariat. A comprehensive system of spending controls and efficiency-focused reforms was implemented to strengthen financial discipline and institutionalise prudent use of public resources.
