National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has taken significant steps towards austerity measures, returning unnecessary protocol, extra security, and reducing staff allocations at the Speaker House.
Sources close to the development revealed that Speaker Ayaz Sadiq personally initiated these spending cuts, reflecting a commitment to fiscal responsibility. This included returning six vehicles from the allocated squad and sending back over 40 employees previously assigned to the Speaker House.
Among the returned employees, the sources said, some were reportedly deputed to the private and official residences of former speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. As a result of these measures, the Speaker House will now operate with a reduced staff of four to five employees, as per the sources.
Furthermore, Speaker Sadiq has requested details of the expenditures from the current financial year's budget, including expenses related to parliamentary delegations during the previous speaker's tenure. Additionally, he has also demanded lists of employees recruited during the tenures of former speakers Asad Qaiser and Pervaiz Ashraf.
Sources within the National Assembly confirmed that the speaker has issued instructions to all departments to cut down on expenses.
A spokesman for the assembly confirmed that Speaker Ayaz Sadiq is not availing of unnecessary protocol and security measures.