Overview
- Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed officials to fast-track the federal rightsizing programme, ordered an independent audit of abolished bodies and posts, and told the Rightsizing Committee to finalise outstanding recommendations within one month.
- The government says the programme has already closed the Utility Stores Corporation, Pakistan Public Works Department and PASSCO and removed vacant posts, steps officials say have lowered civil-government spending as a share of GDP and produced measurable savings.
- Rightsizing here means closing redundant agencies, abolishing vacant and duplicate posts, pressing ahead with privatisations and introducing modern technology and training to improve performance across ministries.
- Privatisation remains central to the plan: officials reported completed sales of Pakistan International Airlines and First Women Bank Limited and said proposals are being prepared to privatise additional state-owned enterprises.
- The ordered third-party audit is meant to independently confirm savings and transparency and could clear the way for faster closures or trigger reviews of service impacts and staff reductions that will directly affect civil servants and some public services.