Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly approved the reversal of a series of austerity measures that were implemented on March 9 in response to heightened economic pressure linked to rising global fuel prices and the tense Iran–US conflict situation.
According to official details, the government has now decided to discontinue several temporary restrictions that had been imposed on federal departments and public offices. These include the cancellation of work-from-home arrangements for government employees, the withdrawal of extra holidays, and the lifting of restrictions on official fuel quotas. In addition, the earlier directive requiring 60 percent of government vehicles to remain grounded has also been revoked, allowing normal fleet operations to resume.
A formal notification confirming these policy reversals has been issued by the Cabinet Division, signaling a shift back toward standard administrative operations as conditions stabilize.
However, not all measures have been rolled back. The government has maintained the revised commercial timing regulations that were introduced earlier. Under these rules, shops, markets, and shopping malls are required to close by 9 PM. Restaurants and cafés are permitted to remain open until 11 PM, while food delivery services continue to operate without any restrictions.
The mixed approach reflects an effort to normalize public sector operations while still retaining certain energy-saving and regulatory measures in the commercial sector.
