This came during a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Rightsizing on Monday, a press release said. Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb presided over the meeting to review progress on the implementation of rightsizing measures across federal ministries.

The Establishment Division informed the minister about receiving confirmations from 29 ministries and one constitutional body regarding the abolition of 11,877 posts and 4,660 dying posts.

Under the International Monetary Fund staff-level agreement for $7 billion, the Fund said that the new programme would help authorities improve macroeconomic stability, improve state owned enterprises’ management, and create conditions for stronger, more inclusive, and resilient growth.

The crisis-wracked South Asian country has had 22 previous IMF bailout programs since 1958.

In June, 2023, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an “immediate” wrapping up of the Pakistan Public Works Department due to “years’ long poor performance and corruption.”

Last year, the government approved a plan to close 33 SOEs in the first phase of a rightsizing initiative aimed at streamlining the government and improving efficiency.

Aurangzeb “commended the implementation of the committee’s decisions and acknowledged the efforts of the ministries and departments involved.”

In its presentation, the railways ministry informed the committee that 17,101 posts have already been abolished while 5,695 posts are in the process of being abolished – out of 95,859 sanctioned posts.

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“Furthermore, 15,000 additional posts are planned to be eliminated in the near future as part of the ministry’s rightsizing efforts,” it said.

The presentation focused on “aligning the ministry’s functions with its core mandate and reducing redundant posts.”

Discussions emphasized the importance of modernizing Pakistan Railways and ensuring its operations remain efficient. The committee decided to refer the case to the Sub-Committee on Rightsizing for further review and implementation of the proposed measures.

It also called for implementing rightsizing measures across federal ministries in a phased manner to “achieve effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainable policy outcomes.”