{"id":2730,"date":"2026-04-01T11:36:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T11:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730"},"modified":"2026-04-01T11:36:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T11:36:57","slug":"shehbaz-sharif-directs-imf-talks-to-reduce-petroleum-levy-burden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730","title":{"rendered":"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel, aiming to prevent any additional burden on the public amid surging global petroleum prices triggered by the ongoing Iran war.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to sources, the prime minister on Tuesday asked the finance ministry to take up the matter with the IMF so that any required adjustment in petroleum prices could be offset against the existing levies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At present, the government imposes a levy of Rs100 per litre on petrol and Rs55 per litre on diesel. These levies on petroleum products are part of IMF conditionalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move comes as the government has already spent a massive subsidy of Rs129 billion to keep the fuel prices stable for consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This relief has been financed by slashing the development budget and generating savings from other heads, officials said, underscoring the government\u2019s commitment to protecting the common man from the full impact of international oil market volatility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlobal oil prices have witnessed a sharp increase due to the Iran war, putting pressure on domestic petroleum rates,\u201d a senior government official said on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe prime minister\u2019s directive is clear: every possible step must be taken to ensure that this external shock does not translate into higher fuel prices for the people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Finance Division has been tasked to discuss with IMF a detailed proposal on possible levy rationalisation. It is believed that the government is exploring options to avoid passing the burden of the international oil price hike on the people of Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel, aiming to prevent any… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2731,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[35,33,1423],"class_list":["post-2730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","tag-pakistan","tag-shehbaz-sharif","tag-war-against-iran"],"yoast_head":"\nShehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden - World Watch Alert<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden - World Watch Alert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Watch Alert\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-01T11:36:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1cf922194712e47776dbb1e51115040\"},\"headline\":\"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-01T11:36:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730\"},\"wordCount\":279,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Pakistan\",\"Shehbaz Sharif\",\"war against iran\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730\",\"name\":\"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden - World Watch Alert\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-01T11:36:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp\",\"width\":700,\"height\":400},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/\",\"name\":\"World Watch Alert\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"World Watch Alert\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_6778.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_6778.png\",\"width\":986,\"height\":231,\"caption\":\"World Watch Alert\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1cf922194712e47776dbb1e51115040\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c81c452db555bfe1e0e5ed315dd6b278f007d8ede7a2a3faadee052f7c23d40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c81c452db555bfe1e0e5ed315dd6b278f007d8ede7a2a3faadee052f7c23d40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c81c452db555bfe1e0e5ed315dd6b278f007d8ede7a2a3faadee052f7c23d40?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden - World Watch Alert","description":"Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden - World Watch Alert","og_description":"Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel","og_url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730","og_site_name":"World Watch Alert","article_published_time":"2026-04-01T11:36:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":700,"height":400,"url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1cf922194712e47776dbb1e51115040"},"headline":"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden","datePublished":"2026-04-01T11:36:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730"},"wordCount":279,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp","keywords":["Pakistan","Shehbaz Sharif","war against iran"],"articleSection":["Economy"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730","url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730","name":"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden - World Watch Alert","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp","datePublished":"2026-04-01T11:36:57+00:00","description":"Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Finance Division to talk to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over the levy structure on petrol and diesel","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/658046_4687125_updates.webp","width":700,"height":400},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=2730#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Shehbaz Sharif Directs IMF Talks to Reduce Petroleum Levy Burden"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/","name":"World Watch Alert","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#organization","name":"World Watch Alert","url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_6778.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_6778.png","width":986,"height":231,"caption":"World Watch Alert"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a1cf922194712e47776dbb1e51115040","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c81c452db555bfe1e0e5ed315dd6b278f007d8ede7a2a3faadee052f7c23d40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c81c452db555bfe1e0e5ed315dd6b278f007d8ede7a2a3faadee052f7c23d40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4c81c452db555bfe1e0e5ed315dd6b278f007d8ede7a2a3faadee052f7c23d40?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com"],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2732,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2730\/revisions\/2732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}