60pc of vacancies in govt depts being abolished: minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb Khan on Tuesday said that 60 per cent of vacancies in government departments were being abolished as part of the government’s austerity measures.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif had formed a committee in June 2024 tasked with rightsizing in government departments. The committee had the scope of looking into 45 ministries having about 400 attached departments.

The minister said that the government had decided to gradually decrease the size of the departments and so far 50 per cent reduction has been made in the number of departments – from 80 to 40.

These austerity measures would be completed by June 30 this year. He said that all vacancies were being abolished by 60 per cent and so far 150,000 vacancies have been abolished.

The minister also said that the ministries of States and Frontier Regions and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan were being merged.