'Austerity plan based on shared responsibility'

Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik on Monday said the government is pursuing a coordinated austerity strategy to reduce expenditure, conserve national resources, and protect vulnerable segments of society while encouraging contributions from all tiers of the state and public.

Talking to the media in Lahore, he noted that the measures approved by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reflect a broader policy shift toward efficiency, restraint, and equitable burden-sharing amid rising global economic uncertainties.

He said the government had curtailed 50 per cent of fuel expenses borne by the federal exchequer and suspended all non-essential official functions to limit avoidable spending.