Govt eliminates vacant posts, bans new purchases

ISLAMABAD: The federal government, while implementing austerity measures, has eliminated all vacant posts that have remained unfilled for the past three years, ARY News reported on Friday.

An official notification has been issued by the Ministry of Finance detailing the cuts in expenditure, which also include a ban on creating new positions across all departments of government.

In a move to reduce unnecessary government expenditure, the notification further stated that the government has imposed a ban on the purchase of all types of vehicles, machinery, and equipmentm adding that the citizens seeking medical treatment abroad will no longer be able to do so at the government’s expense.

In an additional measure to cut government expense, non-essential foreign travel funded by the government has also been prohibited.

The Ministry of Finance has sent the notification to all federal ministries and divisions, instructing them to implement the new austerity policies with immediate effect.

It is worth mentioning here that the Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction over the drop in inflation in the country to a single-digit, hailing the government’s economic team for their efforts.

“The inflation rate of 9.6 percent is a testament to the government’s effective measures,” PM Shehbaz said in a statement issued here. He said that the economic team’s hard work has started yielding positive results.

PM Shehbaz said that the Ministry of Finance’s outlook report predicts a further decline in inflation in September, which he termed as “good news” for the nation.

PM Shehbaz Sharif said that the Pakistan Muslim Nawaz’s (PML-N) federal government led by then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif brought down the inflation rate to a single digit in 2018.

“The economy is not only stable but also on the path to progress,” PM Shehbaz said.