Islamabad : Amid rising tensions in the Middle East and blockages in the Red Sea, a lockdown-like situation has once again occurred in Pakistan. In order to save fuel in the country and curb unnecessary expenses, the Shahbaz government of Pakistan has introduced a new package to stop unnecessary expenditure, in which there will be a complete ban on the purchase of government vehicles, the fuel allocation for government vehicles will be reduced by 50% and only one dish will be served in marriage functions.
Government issued notification
According to Sama TV, the Cabinet Division of the Government of Pakistan has issued a notification regarding this new package on Thursday in which it has been said that these measures have been implemented immediately. Some restrictions, including reduction in fuel consumption and a ban on foreign travel by federal officials, will remain in place for at least three months. However, it has been said that in cases where foreign travel is mandatory, ministers, advisors and officials will have to travel in economy class.
Shops will be closed at 9 pm
The Government of Pakistan has directed that only one dish should be served in all wedding related programs and events. In this notification, early closing time has also been fixed for many commercial places. Shops, markets, shopping malls, departmental and grocery stores will have to be closed by 9 pm.
Wedding halls, tents and other commercial venues where celebrations take place will have to close by 10 pm, while restaurants, cafes, eateries and food outlets will have to close by 11 pm. Takeaway and home-delivery services are exempted from this restriction.
closing time of shops
Many essential services have been excluded from the timing restrictions, including pharmacies, hospitals, clinics, medical labs, fuel and CNG stations, electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations, gyms, sports facilities, IT companies and call centres.
Pakistan bans buying new vehicles
The ban on new car purchases in Pakistan is part of larger ‘austerity measures’ brought in to reduce government spending. In this notification, purchase of long lasting goods has also been banned, but purchases related to information technology have been exempted from this. According to the notification issued from Islamabad, both these restrictions will not apply to development projects.
The government has also ordered a 50% reduction in the allocation of fuel for government vehicles for three months. However, operational vehicles of the Army, Civil Armed Forces, law enforcement agencies, essential services and the Federal Board of Revenue have been exempted from this. This fuel-related ban will apply to the administrative and non-operational departments of these organizations.