Senate returns Rs1.436bn to exchequer after austerity drive

ISLAMABAD: The Senate has returned Rs1.436 billion to the national exchequer after carrying out a year-long austerity campaign, according to a statement issued by the Senate Secretariat on Monday. The secretariat said the amount was equal to 15.9pc of the upper house’s total budget for 2025-26 and exceeded the Finance Division’s savings target by 500pc.

The statement said Senate Chairman Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani first directed expenditure rationalisation in his own office before expanding the programme across the Senate Secretariat. It said the savings reflected actual reductions in spending rather than estimated cuts or liabilities pushed forward.

Under the cost-cutting measures, 17 of the 18 procurement schemes approved by the Senate finance committee were put on hold. The secretariat also rationalised hiring and non-essential expenditure, tightened scrutiny of administrative and operational spending, and significantly reduced the use of the official transport fleet. Fuel allocations were capped and monitored, while refreshments for meetings were discontinued.

According to the statement, committee proceedings were moved to digital and virtual platforms to lower logistical expenses, and all non-essential foreign visits were suspended. It added that although Rs60 million had been allocated this year for the purchase of new vehicles, no vehicle was bought.

The secretariat further said that, on the chairman’s proposal, the Senate Finance Committee decided to give up the allocation for replacing condemned official vehicles in the next fiscal year, a step expected to save another Rs140 million.

Gilani described the savings as part of a broader approach to public finance management.

Public office is a sacred fiduciary trust,

he was quoted as saying.

Every rupee saved is a rupee returned to the people of Pakistan, in whose trust public resources are held,

the chairman said, adding that the austerity campaign was not a one-off exercise but part of an ongoing commitment to responsible governance and fiscal prudence.

The Senate Secretariat said the savings were the cumulative outcome of sustained reforms and disciplined financial management. It said placing the figures on public record was intended to strengthen transparency, accountability and public confidence in state institutions at a time when prudent economic management and efficient use of public funds were national priorities.

Separately, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said the National Assembly Secretariat saved Rs4.5 billion, or 27.3pc of its budget, in the current financial year through austerity measures, right-sizing and institutional modernisation.