The government has decided to extend a series of austerity measures until June 30, while also approving longer operating hours for standalone grocery and kiryana stores throughout the country.
These decisions were made during a meeting of the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures, held in Islamabad on Wednesday. The session was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.
The committee evaluated exemption requests submitted by various ministries and divisions regarding certain austerity protocols, ultimately finalizing recommendations on these matters.
In a notable development, consular attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat, and Lahore, will continue to operate on Fridays to better serve the public.
Moreover, members agreed to prolong the validity of austerity measures initially set to expire on June 13, 2026, extending them through the end of June.
Significantly, the committee approved extending the closing time for standalone grocery and kiryana stores to 10pm every day of the week, including weekends.
Attendees of the meeting included the ministers for petroleum, climate change, and information technology and telecommunications, alongside senior officials from relevant government departments and ministries.
