Tag: officials

  • Monitoring committee takes action against use of luxury cars by officials to cut expenses

    Monitoring committee takes action against use of luxury cars by officials to cut expenses

    State-run Radio Pakistan has reported that the monitoring committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of austerity measures has expressed serious concerns about some officers using vehicles above 1,800cc.

    The committee, chaired by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, met in Islamabad on Monday to review the implementation of the decisions made at its first meeting regarding austerity measures. As part of an austerity drive to save the government Rs200 billion ($766 million) a year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had asked ministers and advisers to fly economy class and forgo luxury cars and their salaries.

    These cuts were made as Pakistan, facing a balance of payment crisis, negotiates with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to secure $1 billion in funds that have been pending since late last year over policy issues.

    The meeting today was updated on the status of the use of luxury vehicles and was informed that a majority of the allocated vehicles have been returned by cabinet members. However, the committee expressed concerns over the non-return of the remaining luxury vehicles and directed the Cabinet Division to strictly implement the decision and retrieve the luxury vehicles within three days. The committee also discussed the withdrawal of the use of security vehicles and decided to implement the decision.

    Furthermore, the Ministry of Law and Justice was tasked with suggesting the implementation of austerity measures in the judiciary to the superior judiciary and approaching the Senate chairman and National Assembly speaker to suggest the use of teleconferences for all meetings to save time and expenditure. The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination has also approached provincial governments to suggest the implementation of similar austerity measures.

    The committee also deliberated on working timings and decided that the new timing for office work will be 7:30 am to 2:30 pm, and up to 12:30 pm on Fridays, starting from the first of Ramzan and will be followed in the summer season, as per the cabinet’s decision. A notification will be issued accordingly. The finance minister, speaking at the occasion, directed all to expedite the implementation of austerity measures with sincerity and true spirit without any exception. These cuts are part of an effort to prevent an economic meltdown as Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen below a month’s import cover.

  • Two-day weekend approved for govt employees

    Two-day weekend approved for govt employees

    The federal cabinet okayed a two-day weekend for government personnel on Tuesday, but no decision on early market closure could be made.

    The meeting was hosted by Prime Minister (PM) Shahbaz Sharif, during which methods to limit loadshedding, which has increased in recent weeks, were reviewed. The meeting was unable to reach a consensus on early market closures and referred the matter to a sub-committee for additional study and consultation with stakeholders.

    Power Division gave a summary for the Energy Conservation Measure at today’s meeting, which included market closures by 7 pm with Saturdays off due to rising petroleum prices, according to Geo.

    As part of the austerity plan to decrease costs, the cabinet also approved a 40 per cent reduction in government employees’ petrol entitlement.

    Minister for Defence Khawaja Asif proposed four and a half working days a week on Monday to help save fuel and energy in the face of rising fuel prices and power shortages.

    “In the current situation, all around the country, there should be a total holiday on Saturday and Sunday and a half working day on Friday in every week,” the defence minister stated on Twitter.

    He suggested that there should be four and a half working days in a week, as well as an hour increase in office hours during working days.

    The federal minister, in another meeting, suggested changing market schedules at a separate meeting last week, which was led by the premier.

    Khawaja Asif has strenuously opposed the idea to open markets from 1 pm to 1 am, arguing that marketplaces should only be open during the day to maximise the use of sunshine, which is accessible 365 days a year.

    He had stated that even without Karachi, we could save 3,500MW if the markets adjusted their timings correctly, but that painful decisions would have to be taken.

  • ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    ‘Every gift belongs to the office, not to be taken home’: High Court

    The Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb has ordered to take Toshakhana gifts [state gifts] back from the officials who took them home and asked Deputy Attorney General Arshad Kayani to put the gifts on display.

    “People come and go but the Office of the Prime Minister remains at the same place. Every gift given [to the head of the state/government officials] belongs to their office, not to be taken home,” Justice Miangul Hassan remarked.

    The directives were issued during hearing of two petitions on the Toshakhana gifts matter, one by a citizen who demanded that the details should be put forward and the other by the Cabinet Division challenging that.

    The Justice directed to make a policy to ensure that the gifts received by the head of the state will only be deposited in the treasury. He also objected that the policy to pay a certain percentage of the gift’s value and take it home shouldn’t have been there.

    “There is no stay on the Pakistan Information Commission’s (PIC) order. The Cabinet Division is bound to provide information,” he observed. The case was adjourned for two weeks.

    However, the cabinet division challenged the PIC order in the high court, claiming that it is “illegal, without lawful authority”. The former government was of the view that the revelations of details of these gifts can affect Pakistan’s relations with the countries which have given the gifts.

    Earlier this week, an investigation by news organisation Fact Focus revealed that former PM Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi kept all 112 presents worth Rs142.02 million from the Toshakhana of Pakistan.