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The government has decided to utilise funds generated from austerity measures for public relief amid escalating tensions in the region. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to review the impact of petroleum product prices and implementation of government austerity measures in light of the ongoing regional situation. During the meeting, the participants discussed policy measures to stabilise petroleum product prices and reviewed progress on austerity steps announced by the government. It was decided in the meeting that, similar to government employees, there will be a 5-30% reduction in the salaries of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) employees and autonomous institutions operating under government patronage. The cuts will be used for public relief initiatives. POL products: Aurangzeb signals price hike ahead The meeting also decided that corporations and other institutions with government representatives on their boards will not charge fees for those representatives, and the savings from this measure will also be allocated for public relief. The prime minister directed all Pakistani embassies to celebrate March 23 with utmost simplicity. The meeting clarified that the four-day work week will not be applicable to law enforcement agencies and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). They will perform their duties as per their existing schedules, it was said. It was decided that a third-party audit will be conducted in the next two months to review the implementation of 50% cut in fuel received by government vehicles and to ground 60% of government vehicles. The meeting was also briefed on the implementation of the government’s complete ban on the purchase of new vehicles as well as restrictions on other government procurements. The meeting was informed that for the next two months, the salaries of cabinet members, ministers, advisors and special assistants will also be used as savings for public welfare. Participants were also informed about the implementation of a complete ban on foreign visits by ministers, advisers and special assistants, with officials encouraged to prioritise teleconferencing and online meetings instead. The prime minister has instructed all concerned secretaries to implement and monitor austerity measures and submit a daily report to the review committee. The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Attaullah Tarar, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, Chairman of FBR, and relevant senior officials.
