PM calls on the country to actively engage in the petroleum conservation effort

Given the gravity of the regional situation, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif stressed on Tuesday that the country as a whole must support the campaign for fuel conservation and austerity.

He maintained that hoarding petroleum goods was a “unforgivable” behaviour and that anybody who engaged in such abhorrent behaviour would face severe legal repercussions.

According to a news statement from the PM Office Media Wing, the prime minister presided over a high-level review meeting to evaluate the execution of policies pertaining to energy efficiency, austerity, and petroleum conservation in light of the current regional circumstances.

He highlighted the nation’s energy problems by pointing out that petroleum products were used in the production of some electricity.

He went on to say that market closures and other austerity measures were intended to guarantee a steady supply of electricity in addition to saving vital foreign cash.

In light of growing regional tensions, the meeting was briefed on measures taken to enforce austerity decisions intended to ensure economic stability.

The prime minister was informed by the officials that marketplaces and shopping centers in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Islamabad would close at 8:00 p.m. today.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Abdul Aleem Khan, Dr. Musadik Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, and Awais Ahmed Leghari, as well as Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, special advisers Tariq Bajwa and Talha Burki, Governor State Bank, chief secretaries, officials, and inspectors general of police from all provinces, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan

The gathering was also informed that discussions about the implementation of the 8:00 pm market closing policy were still in progress with the Sindh government.

Additionally, the pertinent authorities reported that provincial governments have begun to submit information about those who qualify for fuel subsidies. Subsidies were being distributed via an open digital system following verification.

It was said that starting on April 4, the Ministry of IT and the State Bank of Pakistan were working together to continually offer subsidies for transport vehicles, such as trucks and buses.