Austerity measures: NA speaker bans purchase of new vehicles

ISLAMABAD: Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq in an austerity measures banned the purchase of new vehicles for the National Assembly Secretariat and refused provision of new vehicles to the chairmen of the standing committees of the National Assembly.

According to sources, adopting the austerity measures, NA speaker not only refused to purchase new vehicle for himself but also restricted his protocol vehicles and now only two vehicles are on protocol duty instead of a large entourage of protocol duty which was previously used.

As another austerity measure, NA speaker also imposed ban on unnecessary foreign visits of delegations and directed that foreign visits only be made to attend the international events like IPU meetings only with minimum delegations.

Sources said the speaker also banned the official lunches and dinners and directed that official lunches and dinners be arranged only for foreign dignitaries while there will be no refreshments in the routine meetings.

Sources said NA Speaker issued orders to withdraw the vehicles from all the officials of the National Assembly secretariat who are avail themselves of the monetization facility. Sources said NA speaker also directed that the officers availing themselves of monetisation facility should pay for vehicle for traveling out of the city according to the rules.