Info ministry refutes reports of ‘complete lockdown’ on weekends as part of fuel-saving measures

The information ministry on Sunday refuted a notification about a “complete and comprehensive lockdown” across the country on weekends, stating it was fake.

In a post on its “fact checker” account on X, the ministry shared the notification being circulated on social media, with “fake” over it.

“Avoid sharing fake news and false posts. Be a responsible citizen and only trust verified sources,” the ministry said in its post.

The undated fake notification falsely quoted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as directing the enforcement of several additional measures in “view of the continuing Gulf oil crisis”.

As per the document, a “complete and comprehensive lockdown throughout the country” was ordered for every Saturday and Sunday, starting from April 5 onwards.

“The lockdown shall take effect every Saturday from 12:01am (00:01 hrs) and continue till 11:59pm (23:59 hrs) every Sunday,” the fake order read.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a host of austerity measures in view of the global oil crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran, which has hiked local fuel prices.

These included a 50 per cent cut in fuel allowance for official vehicles, with the exemption of operational vehicles such as ambulances and public buses, for the next two months.

Moreover, 50pc staff were to work from home in the public sector, but those providing essential services were exempted.

On Friday, contingency measures to address fiscal and external account pressures in case of a prolonged Middle East crisis and worsening global conditions were discussed at a consultative meeting presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

The measures also included potential lockdowns, as well as fuel rationing, extended holidays in educational institutions, reduced working days in the private sector, similar to the public sector and implementing a 50pc work-from-home policy across both sectors.

However, no official confirmation has been made yet regarding any such plan.

Earlier on Tuesday, Local Government Minister Nasir Shah also said that the provincial government was contemplating a smart lockdown as a fuel conservation measure.

But during the meeting on Friday, representatives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reportedly opposed lockdown measures, warning they would cripple economic activity and disproportionately affect daily wage earners and private sector workers.