Ahead of Eid ul Fitr, Shehbaz Sharif-led government has decided to release salaries for the current month to the employees of public sector departments.
The move comes as Pakistanis deal with historic high inflation, which has forced several to forego even essential edible items. The nation is struggling to secure external financing as well, with the looming threat of default hanging over it.
Today's announcement comes after consultations were held between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
Confirming the development, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb announced that the government has also decided to release monthly pensions before the festival.
Following the decision, Dar directed Finance Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh to make arrangements accordingly.
Earlier, the Government of Sindh had announced releasing the salaries of Muslim government employees in advance ahead of Eid ul Fitr.
"...full pay and allowances/full pension for the month of April, shall be paid in advance to all Muslim employees/pensioners of Provincial Government of Sindh (including work-charged and contingent paid establishment)," a notification from the finance department read.
The salaries and pensions will be released on April 17 instead of May 2, the notification added, noting that Eid is expected to fall on either April 21 or April 22.
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