Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi has ordered immediate implementation of the prime minister’s austerity measures in Pakistan Railways, taking a number of steps to curtail non-essential expenditure and ensure financial discipline, it was reported on Tuesday.
Under the directives, the issuance of House Building Advance (HBA) loans to Pakistan Railways officers and employees has been suspended until December 31, 2026.
The minister has also decided to impose a ban on official foreign visits by all Pakistan Railways officers and employees, including himself, until further orders as part of the austerity drive.
In another major measure, official fuel allocations for all officers have been reduced by 50 percent, while the minister’s own official fuel allocation has also been cut by half.
The minister directed the Pakistan Railways administration to immediately enforce all relevant instructions issued under the Prime Minister’s austerity measures.
He said the steps were aimed at ensuring effective utilisation of available resources, reducing unnecessary expenditure and maintaining financial discipline within the department.
Hanif Abbasi directed all concerned officials to strictly implement the austerity measures and ensure that government resources were used efficiently.
Two officers transferred
Pakistan Railways has carried out a reshuffle in the department, transferring two Grade-19 officers as part of its administrative arrangements.
According to a notification issued by Pakistan Railways, Naseer Ahmed Khan Niazi, who was serving as Human Resource Expert at ML-1 Project, has been posted as Deputy Chief Safety Officer (Operations).
Saima Aram has been posted as Human Resource Expert for the ML-1 project, who was earlier serving as Deputy Chief Safety Officer (Operations).
The notification said that the appointments and transfers were approved by the Secretary/Chairman Railways and would take effect immediately.
