ISLAMABAD – The Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures has proposed extending several ongoing austerity policies until June 30, 2026, along with revised operating hours for retail shops across the country.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, where officials reviewed exemption requests from different ministries and divisions regarding existing austerity rules and finalized their recommendations.
It was agreed that consular attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with its liaison offices in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and Gujrat, will continue to remain open on Fridays to facilitate the public.
The committee further recommended extending the current austerity framework, which is scheduled to expire on June 13, 2026, until June 30, 2026.
In addition, the closing time of standalone grocery and kiryana stores has been extended to 10:00 PM daily, including weekends, to improve public convenience.
The session was attended by the ministers for petroleum, climate change, and IT and telecom, the SAPM on finance, the SAPM to the deputy prime minister, senior federal secretaries from the cabinet, commerce, petroleum, and IT divisions, and other relevant officials.
