ISLAMABAD(National Times)- The committee for monitoring austerity measures and fuel conservation on Wednesday decided to extend the closing time for standalone grocery and kiryana stores by an hour to 10pm.

Pakistan had initially announced austerity measures on March 9 to deal with the impacts of the ongoing war in the Middle East. Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved the extension of the austerity measures till June 13.

In a meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, the committee also recommended extending the application of these austerity measures till June 30, according to a statement by the DPM’s office.

The measures include a 50 per cent reduction in fuel allowance for official vehicles, with the exemption of operational vehicles such as ambulances and public buses. Other steps include the grounding 60pc of official vehicles and a complete ban on foreign visits by ministers and government officials, excluding those deemed essential for the country’s interests, as specified the last time.

The Dar-led committee on Wednesday also reviewed several cases by different ministries “seeking exemptions from applicability of certain austerity measures and finalised recommendations accordingly”.

“It was also decided that consular attestation services at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) and its liaison offices in Quetta, Karachi, Peshawar, Gujrat, and Lahore would remain operational on Fridays as well for public facilitation,” the statement read.

This decision comes after previously announced austerity measures reduced the working week for all government offices to four days — Monday to Thursday.

In attendance at the meeting were ministers for petroleum, climate change, and IT & telecom; the special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) on finance; the special assistant to the DPM; the secretaries of cabinet, commerce, petroleum, and IT & Telecom; as well as senior officials from Mofa and other relevant ministries and divisions.