Five-day work week, curtailed foreign trips as Pak battles an energy crisis

Facing a severe energy crisis, Pakistan government has announced that it will revert to five-day work week as part of its energy conservation plan. 

Pakistan's information minister on Tuesday announced that that country's cabinet has approved to end Saturdays as workday, a step that will reduce the nation's energy and fuel consumption as hours-long power outages continue to hit the Shehbaz Sharif-led country. 

"We are facing a severe crisis... We desperately need to take energy conservation measures. We need to tap on every option to save on energy," Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said. 

He added, "The decision to restore the Saturday holiday will help save $386 million per annum."

Amid heatwaves, Pakistan is producing 21,000 megawatts of electricity while it has demand of 28,400 megawatts.

Pakistan announced a six-day work week soon after Sharif took over as the new prime minister in April, as the PML-N leader wanted to increase productivity. However, Sharif's step resulted in greater electricity and fuel consumption by government offices and employees.

Aurangzeb said that the cabinet has also approved a 40 per cent cut in the official fuel allowance given to ministers and government officials and foreign trips for officials would also be curtailed. 

Pakistan's energy import costs have doubled in the last few months, as record high global fuel prices have put pressure on the external account as the Pakistani rupee has touched new lows against the US dollar. 

Aurangzeb added that the cabinet has also approved a plan, in coordination with provincial municipal authorities, to illuminate streetlights on an “alternate lighting system". Under this plan, every alternate streetlight will be illuminated instead of all in a row.