A review meeting on austerity measures was held under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, during which it was decided to introduce an additional weekly holiday on Friday. Following the decision, the federal government issued an official notification implementing a four-day work week policy.
According to the notification issued by the Cabinet Division, government offices will now operate four days a week, opening from Monday to Thursday, while offices will remain closed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The notification further states that officers in Grade 20 and above, or those receiving salaries exceeding Rs300,000 per month, will face a deduction equivalent to two days of salary. The deduction will be applied on a voluntary basis and will cover officers in both federal and provincial government institutions, while officials working in the health and education sectors will be exempted. The notification has been issued under the austerity campaign announced by the Prime Minister a day earlier.
During the meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, a special committee was also established under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to closely monitor both global and domestic developments.
Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the government is making every possible effort to keep the national economy stable despite serious global challenges. He directed that the special committee would review developments on a daily basis and submit its report accordingly.
The Prime Minister further directed that the austerity measures implemented by various departments should undergo third-party auditing to ensure transparency. All ministries and divisions have been instructed to implement austerity measures effectively.
It was also decided that photographs of government vehicles taken out of service under the austerity policy will be sent to the Cabinet Division, while each ministry will submit reports to the Prime Minister’s Office to ensure the effective implementation of the work-from-home policy.
