In view of the rising prices of petroleum products, the federal government has issued a notification of austerity campaign. The duration of the austerity campaign has been fixed for 3 months.
Shops, markets and shopping malls will be closed at 9 pm. Similarly, wedding halls, marquees and other commercial activities will be held till 10 pm while all hotels, restaurants and cafes will be closed at 11 pm.
Take-away and home delivery services will be exempted from the scheduled 11 pm closure while marriage-related functions have been decided to serve only one dish.
Pharmacies, laboratories, clinics, hospitals, ovens, bakeries, milk and dairy shops, petrol and CNG pumps, electric vehicle charging stations will be exempted from this ban.
There will be a complete ban on the purchase of all durable goods except for the purchase of IT equipment.
Gyms, sports facilities, paddle courts, IT companies, call centers will be exempted from working hours.
Ban on official visits and events
A complete ban has been imposed on official visits and travel abroad for three months. Ministers, advisers, government officials will travel in economy class in case of unavoidable foreign trips.
Government meetings have been directed to be held preferably through video conferencing.
There will be a ban on hosting official dinners, while dinners hosted in honor of foreign delegations will be exempted.
Government seminars, training programs and conferences at government expense will also be banned. Government auditoriums and committee rooms have been directed to be used for unavoidable government functions.
50 percent of government vehicles will be grounded while it has also been decided to reduce fuel supply to government vehicles by 50 percent.
Vehicles of Armed Forces, Civil Armed Forces, Law Enforcement Agencies will be exempted from fuel shortage while operational vehicles of essential services and FBR will be exempted from fuel shortage.
A 5% reduction in the non-ERE budget for FY 2026-27 has been decided. A total ban has also been imposed on the purchase of new vehicles of all types.
Guidelines for Provincial Governments
Provincial and territorial governments may consider adopting austerity measures similar to the federal government.
The decision to accept the exemption application is also made
Requests for exemptions from austerity measures will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The committee will submit its recommendation to the Prime Minister for approval of exemption.