Govt mulling revival of austerity measures, decision to be taken soon: Tarar

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Monday that the government was considering reviving austerity measures introduced during a previous fuel conservation drive amid renewed hostilities in the Middle East. The austerity measures were announced on March 9 to mitigate the impact of the ongoing US-Iran war. These included a 50 per cent cut in fuel allowances for official vehicles, salary cuts for lawmakers, and a partial work-from-home policy in the public sector. Tarar made the remarks while addressing a press briefing alongside Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik on the government’s fuel relief scheme, which was launched on Sunday amid rising oil prices. In response to a question, the information minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed consultations on the austerity measures, some of which, he noted, “are still in force, such as market timings”. Tarar added that “austerity measures previously taken [..] were being reviewed to assess which of the previous measures need to be revived in the present situation”. He added that a decision will be taken soon. The government ended the measures on June 19, exc