PESHAWAR – We live in a country where an ordinary citizen keeps track of every litre of petrol for a motorcycle and thinks twice before paying an electricity bill. Yet questioning the excessive use of official vehicles can sometimes be treated as an act of disrespect.
I often see government vehicles being used to transport officials’ children and relatives or for activities that have little connection with official duties. Sometimes they are used for long journeys, private events or personal errands. This raises a simple question: have we become so accustomed to the misuse of public resources that we no longer consider it worth questioning?
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A government vehicle does not belong to an individual officer. Its fuel, maintenance and driver’s salary come from public money. When an official treats a public position as a source of personal convenience rather than public service, claims of austerity lose much of their meaning.
In my view, the government should begin by accounting for the use of public resources. Every ministry, department and public official should operate under clear rules. Official vehicles should primarily serve official duties. Transport between home and office can be regulated where necessary, but public vehicles should not become a means of providing private transport for children, relatives or personal errands.
Austerity should not be something demanded only from ordinary citizens. Genuine government austerity begins when those with authority are also willing to reduce unnecessary privileges and ease the burden on the national exchequer.
We ask citizens to make sacrifices. We ask them to pay taxes, conserve electricity, use less fuel and reduce household spending. But if the use of public resources receives little scrutiny, the question of accountability cannot be directed only at citizens. It must also be directed at those who control public resources.
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A country’s economic strength depends not only on how much revenue its government collects, but also on how responsibly it manages what it already has. Public money requires discipline, transparency and accountability.
Islamic teachings have also placed clear emphasis on avoiding waste and extravagance. Austerity, therefore, should not be viewed merely as a response to an economic crisis. It can also be understood as an ethical and national responsibility.
Pakistan is facing difficult economic conditions, with high living costs, energy prices and limited public resources putting pressure on both the government and citizens. Against this backdrop, the federal government announced new austerity and fuel-saving measures on 17 September 2026.
Such measures can have a meaningful impact only when authorities enforce them consistently. Saving electricity, fuel and other resources cannot remain limited to government offices. Homes, shops, markets and businesses must also examine their own spending habits.
Expensive ceremonies, unnecessary purchases, food waste and excessive use of electricity and water have become part of everyday economic behaviour. Austerity does not mean abandoning legitimate needs. It means understanding the difference between what we need and what we simply want.
The government should act as a responsible custodian of the national treasury, while citizens should act as responsible custodians of their household resources. Public money is not simply “government money”. It is money that belongs to the people.
One litre of fuel, one unit of electricity, one government vehicle, one public building and one official journey all carry a cost that ultimately connects to national resources. Changing the mindset that “it is government money” is therefore essential. It is public money.
Citizens, however, must also recognise that every economic problem cannot be solved by the government alone. A stronger nation requires action at both levels: governments must reduce unnecessary expenditure, while citizens must reduce waste in their own daily lives.
The current government austerity measures should therefore be treated as more than a government directive. They should encourage a broader discussion about how Pakistan uses its limited resources.
Government departments should reduce unnecessary spending. Those in positions of authority should embrace greater simplicity. Public institutions should use resources efficiently. Citizens should also examine unnecessary expenses in their homes, workplaces and businesses.
If we can turn austerity from a temporary response to an economic crisis into a lasting national habit, today’s difficulties could become an opportunity to improve how we manage our resources.
Pakistan does not only need more resources. It also needs to use the resources it already has more responsibly.
The real test of government austerity will not be the announcement of another policy. It will be whether officials, institutions and citizens apply the same principle in their daily decisions.
Perhaps the best place to begin is not somewhere else, but with ourselves: spend less where possible, waste less, save more and protect Pakistan’s resources for its future.
