ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and support the government’s austerity and fuel conservation campaign amid the evolving Middle East crisis.
Chairing a review meeting on fuel conservation, the prime minister said the country had sufficient petroleum stocks due to timely government decisions, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
He said providing relief to the public remained the government’s top priority and noted that maximum possible relief had been extended to citizens over the past three weeks.
To mitigate the impact of rising global oil prices, the federal government has allocated Rs125 billion through savings and development budget cuts to prevent an increase in petroleum prices and shield the public from the direct effects of international tensions.
The prime minister appealed to the public to support the conservation drive by avoiding unnecessary travel and promoting teleconferencing at offices and workplaces.
He directed provincial governments to facilitate motorcycle and rickshaw owners in registering vehicles in their own names, saying the move would help digitise data nationwide and enable owners to benefit from future relief initiatives.
The prime minister also instructed authorities to enhance coordination with chief secretaries of the four provinces, as well as Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Officials briefed the meeting on progress regarding austerity measures, informing participants that petroleum supply and demand and the entire supply chain were being monitored through a digital dashboard, while arrangements for April fuel imports had been finalised.
They said Pakistan had not witnessed long queues or fuel supply mismanagement, attributing the situation to effective planning and timely government actions. A briefing was also given on a proposed fuel support programme for motorcycle riders and rickshaw drivers.
The meeting, held via video link, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal and Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant Tariq Bajwa, Jameel Ahmad, governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, and other senior officials.
Two days earlier, the prime minister rejected a summary proposing an increase in petrol and high-speed diesel prices despite a surge in global oil rates. He said the government would bear the additional cost instead of passing it on to the public.
He added that petrol should cost Rs544 per litre but was being provided at Rs322 per litre, while diesel should cost Rs790 per litre but was being sold at Rs335 per litre.