Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced a series of measures to reduce fuel consumption, including school holidays and a reduction in the daily working hours of government employees. Primary and secondary schools across Pakistan are scheduled to close for two weeks from Monday. Nearly 40 million children in Pakistan, a country of about 250 million people, study in schools. The government has said that colleges and universities will be run online. Government offices, except for banks and essential services, will operate only four days a week. Half of the employees will work from home. Pakistan has taken this decision amid economic stress and fuel shortages caused by the US-Israeli war with Iran. According to Radio Pakistan, government vehicles will be allowed to refuel only half of the previous amount for two months. This rule will not apply to ambulances and public buses. Prime Minister Sharif also said that cabinet ministers and advisers will forgo their salaries and allowances. He said federal and provincial lawmakers are expected to take a 25% voluntary pay cut. There is also a ban on purchasing new vehicles before June 2026.  Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a global shortage of oil, gas and other supplies.