ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly austerity measures require 50% of Secretariat staff to work remotely on a rotating basis and cut fuel provision for official vehicles by 50%, according to a notification approved by Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
Employees on remote duty must remain available by telephone, email, WhatsApp and other communication channels. They can be ordered to report to Parliament House within one hour and will not receive diet allowance or overtime while working from home.
The fuel reduction will remain in place for three months, while the Secretariat has imposed a complete ban on purchasing new vehicles. It has also approved a 5% monthly reduction in non-employee-related expenditure for FY2026-27.
Meetings, including those of Standing Committees, will preferably be conducted virtually, while the number of meetings will be kept to a minimum. The Secretariat has also directed a shift towards paperless working.
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Foreign official travel has been banned for three months, subject to limited exemptions for certain scholarships, Economic Affairs Division training programmes and activities covered by government institutional agreements. Official dinners and government-funded seminars, conferences and training events have also been restricted.
The National Assembly’s official website lists a “Fuel Conservation and Additional Austerity Measures” notification dated September 18, 2026.
The latest restrictions follow earlier austerity steps by the Secretariat. In June, it said previous reforms were expected to generate about PKR 4.5 billion in savings, equivalent to 27.3% of its FY2025-26 budgeted expenditure.
