The information ministry on Sunday refuted a notification about a “complete and comprehensive lockdown” across the country on weekends, stating it was fake.
In a post on its “fact checker” account on X, the ministry shared the notification being circulated on social media, with “fake” over it.
“Avoid sharing fake news and false posts. Be a responsible citizen and only trust verified sources,” the ministry said in its post.
The undated fake notification falsely quoted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as directing the enforcement of several additional measures in “view of the continuing Gulf oil crisis”. As per the document, a “complete and comprehensive lockdown throughout the country” was ordered for every Saturday and Sunday, starting from April 5 onwards.
“The lockdown shall take effect every Saturday from 12:01am (00:01 hrs) and continue till 11:59pm (23:59 hrs) every Sunday,” the fake order read.
Meanwhile, the federal government on Sunday allocated Rs125 billion from various savings and development budgets to prevent increases in oil prices to shield the public from direct impacts from the ongoing war, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office.
In a review meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the federal government assessed the implementation of measures aimed at fuel conservation and resource efficiency in light of the current regional situation. During the meeting, the PM once again urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and support the government’s austerity drive
The prime minister stated that, thanks to government decisions, sufficient petroleum products are available to meet the country’s essential requirements. PM Shehbaz emphasised that public relief has been the top priority, with maximum support provided over the past three weeks.
The meeting was attended via video link by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Ataullah Tarar, Dr Musadiq Malik, Ahsan Iqbal, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Owais Khan Laghari, Special Assistant Tariq Bajwa, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, and senior government officials.