PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to implement 100 per cent work from home on Fridays for the next two months to conserve fuel as the Iran war upends fuel supplies.

In a notification, the establishment department said the chief minister had decided to declare 100 per cent work from home in government offices on Fridays for two months or until the improvement of the situation, which was earlier.

It also said that the spring break at public and private educational institutions, except for university education and board exams, would begin on March 24. Its impact will be for four days as Friday through Sunday was a holiday in any case.

On March 9, the KP cabinet approved the Fuel Conservation and Responsible Governance Initiative, including several measures to cut fuel use amid the global fuel crisis triggered by the US-Israel war on Iran.

Under the strategy, the provincial government announced a reduction in the entitlement for official vehicles by 25 per cent. It also reduced school days to four a week.

Earlier, the cabinet announced a 50 per cent work from home in government departments.

The government also announced a 20 per cent reduction in non-employee-related expenditure for the fourth quarter of the current financial year due to the “fiscal constraints and international oil prices”.

It declared a complete ban on the “purchase of all durable goods” by administrative departments until June 30.

A notification issued by the finance department said that in continuation of austerity measures taken due to fiscal constraints and the international oil situation, the KP government ordered a 20 per cent reduction in non-employee-related expenditure for the fourth quarter (April-June) of the current fiscal.

Through another notification, the finance department banned the “purchase of all new durable goods” until June 30, 2026.

Also, the government decided to halt the use of 60 per cent of official vehicles in all establishments of the provincial government for the next two months to conserve fuel in light of the disruption of supplies due to the Iran war.

Earlier, the government notified a 25pc reduction in the monthly fuel entitlement for official vehicles.

The Peshawar High Court, too, notified fuel conservation measures at its principal seat and subordinate judiciary.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2026