Pakistan orders remote work, shuts schools amid rising energy concerns due to Iran war
Islamabad imposes austerity measures to conserve fuel while India pushes refineries to boost LPG output.
Pakistan has ordered remote work for half of its public sector employees and announced a two-week closure of schools to conserve energy amid disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced austerity measures in a national address, according to local daily Dawn.
Sharif said 50 percent of public-sector employees, excluding those in essential services, will work remotely, and that government offices will operate four days a week, except for banks.
All schools will close for two weeks starting later this week, while higher education institutions will continue online.
Fuel allowances for official vehicles will be cut by half for two months, while 60 percent of government vehicles will be taken off the road, he said. The federal cabinet will also forgo salaries during the same period.
Additional measures include cutting parliamentarians’ salaries by 25 percent, reducing government spending, holding meetings online, banning vehicle purchases and limiting nonessential foreign travel.
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas ordered oil refineries to increase liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) production due to “current geopolitical disruptions to fuel supply and constraints on supply of LPG.”
The ministry said domestic LPG supply to households has been prioritised, while imported LPG will be directed to essential sectors such as hospitals and educational institutions.
Vietnam's trade ministry has also called on local businesses to encourage their employees to work from home as part of efforts to save on fuel, Reuters reported.
Vietnam has been among the countries hardest hit by fuel disruptions since the US-Israeli war on Iran began, being heavily reliant on energy imports from the Middle East, the government said in a statement on Tuesday, citing a report from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Separately, the US Embassy in Islamabad issued a security alert for American citizens about planned protests in Pakistan on Tuesday, restricting the movement of US personnel starting at 12.00 pm local time (0700GMT) on March 10.
Regional tensions escalated after Israel and the US launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, killing more than 1,200 people, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq and several Gulf countries hosting US military assets.
Iran also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz around March 1. The strategic waterway normally handles about 20 million barrels of oil shipments daily and roughly 20 percent of the global liquefied natural gas trade.