Pakistan extends austerity measures to June 30, eases grocery store hours

Pakistan's government has extended austerity and fuel conservation measures until June 30 and relaxed operating hour restrictions for standalone grocery stores nationwide.

The decision followed a review meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar, which examined exemption requests from various ministries and government divisions.

What do Pakistan's extended austerity measures include?

The austerity measures, now extended to June 30, 2026, cover fuel conservation requirements and additional spending restrictions originally set to expire June 13.

Standalone grocery and kiryana stores may now remain open until 10 p.m. every day, including weekends. Consular attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its liaison offices in five cities will also continue operating on Fridays.

Which cities are covered by the consular services exemption?

The committee confirmed that consular attestation services will keep running on Fridays at Foreign Affairs liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat and Lahore. The decision was among several exemption cases finalized during the meeting. An official statement said the committee reviewed requests from multiple ministries before confirming the extension.

Who attended the austerity committee meeting?

The meeting was attended by the ministers for petroleum, climate change, and information technology and telecommunications. The special assistant to the prime minister on finance, the special assistant to the deputy prime minister, senior ministry secretaries and other officials were also present.

The committee is formally titled the Committee for Monitoring and Implementation of Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures.

The austerity and fuel conservation measures were originally introduced to reduce energy consumption and curb public spending amid ongoing economic pressures.