Overview
- Islamabad Electric Supply Company says it has begun full implementation of cost‑cutting, adopting a four‑day office week, halving monthly petrol quotas by grade, and grounding about 60% of head‑office vehicles.
- The prime minister’s directives include graded 5–30% pay cuts for employees of state‑owned enterprises and autonomous bodies, steep curbs on official vehicles and procurement, and simple 23 March observances at embassies, with all savings routed to public relief.
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb reports petroleum stocks at satisfactory levels with additional cargoes en route, and a standing committee reviewing supply and global price moves daily.
- Pakistan’s ongoing virtual engagement with the IMF features lender concerns over the FBR’s revenue shortfall and the reliability of external financing, including remittance and market risks.
- Security forces killed multiple militants in intelligence‑based operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while a Gwadar coast guard post came under fire leaving two personnel dead and one injured, and police increased visible deployment at markets and places of worship in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.