ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday emphasized the importance of cutting down on government expenditures, calling it a major objective of his administration to ensure better governance.

Sharif’s call comes amid rising public discontent over the government’s recent tax-heavy budget and increasing power tariffs, with critics urging his government to reduce its own expenses rather than placing additional financial burden on the populace.

In order to address the issue, he chaired a meeting at his official residence in the federal capital, Islamabad, to rationalize the government structure and reduce its size and expenses.

“Reducing government expenditures is our priority,” the prime minister said during the meeting.

“The purpose of the government’s institutional reforms is to reduce the burden on the national treasury and improve the services provided to the public,” he added.

Sharif maintained the institutions that had not shown significant performance in public service and were putting a burden on the national treasury would be either dissolved or steps taken for their privatization.

During the meeting, a committee formed under the leadership of Federal Minister of Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb presented recommendations on reducing the size of the federal government.

The committee recommended eliminating approximately 150,000 vacant positions, outsourcing non-core services and routine tasks such as cleaning and janitorial services, which would gradually eliminate multiple positions from grades 1 to 16.

It also gave a detailed briefing on reforms in the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Ministry of Frontier Regions, Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, Ministry of Industries and Production and Ministry of National Health.

A proposal was made to merge the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs & Gilgit-Baltistan and the Ministry of Frontier Regions. It was also proposed that 28 institutions in these five ministries be completely closed, privatized, or transferred to other ministries or federal units.

A proposal to merge 12 institutions within these five ministries was also presented.

The prime minister directed that the approval of these proposed reforms should be obtained from the federal cabinet.

He also instructed that a comprehensive plan for the implementation of these reforms should be presented.