Thailand and Vietnam yesterday urged public employees to work from home and adopt other energy‑saving measures, after Israeli and US strikes on Iran disrupted oil supplies and sent fuel prices soaring.

Thai authorities said government workers should shift to remote work where possible and asked that government offices set their air conditioners to 26C to conserve energy. “The government wants all sectors to use resources wisely and effectively,” it said in a statement. It also urged officials to avoid overseas trips.

Meanwhile, India yesterday ordered tighter controls over natural and cooking gas following import disruptions, with restaurants warning it could spark widespread closures.

The Ministry of Petroleum ordered that LNG supplies be prioritised to supply households, transport sectors and production of LPG. To meet the gap, gas supplied to petrochemical facilities and power plants would either be fully or partially curtailed.

But other sectors, including fertiliser plants and tea industries, would receive 70 to 80 percent of consumption needs, “subject to operational availability”.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday evening announced a host of austerity measures to conserve fuel in view of the global fuel crisis.

All higher educational institutions will hold online classes from March 16 to 31, while all schools will have a two‑week break during the same period.

He said that for the next two months, the fuel allowance for official vehicles would be cut by 50 percent, but ambulances and public buses would be exempt. He further said that the salary of parliamentarians would be cut by 25 percent. Moreover, two days’ salary of BS-20 government officials, who earn more than Rs300,000, would be used for the people.