Pakistan has introduced emergency measures aimed at reducing fuel consumption as global energy prices rise. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that schools across the country will close for two weeks, while universities and higher education institutions will switch to online teaching to maintain academic activity while limiting travel.
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The government has also ordered public sector offices to operate on a four-day working week, with half of government employees instructed to work remotely. Fuel allowances for government departments will be cut by 50 per cent over the next two months, and 60 per cent of official vehicles will be taken off the road during the same period. Banks are exempt from the new working arrangements.
Additional austerity measures include a temporary ban on purchasing government vehicles, furniture and air-conditioning units, as well as restrictions on non-essential foreign travel by ministers and officials. Federal ministers will forgo their salaries, while members of parliament will face a 25 per cent pay reduction. The measures follow a sharp rise in domestic petrol and diesel prices, which led to long queues at petrol stations.
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Officials said the steps were designed to limit fuel consumption as global energy markets face uncertainty linked to tensions in the Middle East. Pakistan, which relies heavily on imported oil and gas, has also deployed naval escorts for merchant vessels transporting energy supplies through regional waters in an effort to protect shipping routes and maintain stable energy flows.
