NA Secretariat saves Rs4.5bn through austerity, cuts 301 posts
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Secretariat has saved Rs4.5 billion — 27.3 per cent of its budget — for the current financial year through austerity measures, right-sizing and institutional modernisation, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said.
According to a statement issued by the NA Secretariat, the total projected expenditure for FY 2025-26 was Rs16.3bn. Of this, Rs9.4bn was employee-related, including salaries and allowances of MNAs and officials, while Rs6.9bn covered operational costs, utilities, maintenance, procurement and transport.
Through targeted measures, the secretariat has generated estimated savings of Rs2bn in employee-related expenditure and Rs2.5bn in non-employee expenditure, the statement said.
As part of the rightsizing initiative, the sanctioned strength of the secretariat is being cut from 1,725 posts to 1,344. Of the 381 posts to be abolished, 301 have already been scrapped. The remaining 80 will be abolished in FY 2026-27. The reforms reflect the speaker’s commitment to a “more efficient and performance-oriented institution”, the statement said, adding: “Not a single employee was laid off or forced to resign.”
The NA has also become an “AI-enabled parliament” through advanced digital tools for legislative research, document management and administrative efficiency.
Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2026
