Pakistan adopts 4-day work week, closes schools for two weeks to save fuel
The government will also ground 60% of official vehicles for two months, while federal ministers will forgo salaries and parliamentarians will face a 25% pay cut as part of the broader austerity measures
Pakistan has introduced emergency measures in response to rising global fuel prices, shutting all schools for two weeks and ordering the public sector to operate on a four-day work week.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the measures, warning that the government needed to reduce fuel consumption and prepare for potential supply shocks given the situation in the Middle East, The Independent reported.
In a televised address, Sharif said schools across the country would close for two weeks. He also said that universities and other higher education institutions across the South Asian country will switch to online classes during the period to maintain academic activity while limiting travel.
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"In the next two months, government departments will get a 50% cut in fuel allowances," Sharif said, while public offices will open for only four days a week and half of government employees will be ordered to work remotely, according to The Independent.
Banks are exempt from the new work arrangements.
Pakistan's heavy reliance on imported fuel leaves the economy vulnerable whenever oil prices surge or supply routes are threatened. Pakistan, which shares a southwestern border with Iran, relies heavily on oil and gas supplies from the Gulf.
On Friday last week, just a few days after Israel and the US launched strikes against Iran, fuel prices in Pakistan rose by roughly 20% -- a move that triggered long queues at petrol stations across the country as drivers rushed to fill their tanks.
The government will also ground 60% of official vehicles for two months, while federal ministers will forgo salaries and parliamentarians will face a 25% pay cut as part of the broader austerity measures announced by Sharif, The Independent reported.
The Dawn newspaper reported that the government has also imposed a ban on purchasing vehicles, furniture and air conditioners for government offices, restrictions on foreign travel by ministers and officials unless essential, and there is a directive for departments to hold meetings online while cancelling official dinners and iftar parties during Ramadan.
The move came after the government received sharp criticism from opposition leaders and the public after it raised petrol and diesel prices by as much as 55 Pakistani rupees, according to The Independent.
The report stated that officials say the measures are designed to curb fuel consumption as global energy markets face volatility amid the Iran conflict.
During his address, Sharif condemned the US-Israeli attacks on Iran that resulted in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khameini but also criticised Iran's retaliatory attacks on neighbours.
"These attacks have posed a great threat to the whole region," he said.
Sharif further said, "If things keep progressing in this manner, then the (global fuel) prices will get out of hand."
Several countries have warned that continued attacks on energy infrastructure and shipping routes could trigger a broader global energy crisis.
