PM Shehbaz Sharif orders petroleum minister to prepare petrol conservation plan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed provincial governments to seal petrol pumps involved in hoarding fuel, cancel their licenses, and take legal action against those creating artificial shortages of petroleum products in the country.

Chairing a high-level meeting on fuel availability, the prime minister emphasized the need for strict action against hoarders to protect consumers and maintain smooth supply.

Officials from the Ministry of Petroleum briefed the meeting, saying that sufficient stocks of petroleum products are available in the country to meet national demand despite regional challenges.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also asked Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik to visit the provinces and work with provincial authorities to prepare a strategy for conserving petroleum products and ensuring their uninterrupted supply to the public.

He instructed the government to set up a dashboard to monitor the movement of petroleum products, providing real-time data to track transportation and supply across the country.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, federal ministers, provincial chief secretaries, the Governor of the State Bank, and senior officials from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.