Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed provincial governments to take strict legal action against hoarders of petroleum products and warned that petrol pumps involved in creating artificial shortages would be shut down immediately.
Chairing a high-level meeting on petroleum supply, the prime minister was briefed by the Ministry of Energy (Petroleum Division) on the country’s fuel reserves in view of the evolving regional situation.
Officials informed the meeting that adequate stocks of petroleum products were available in the country to meet national requirements.
The prime minister, however, instructed provincial authorities to take firm action against those involved in hoarding petroleum products and creating artificial shortages in the market.
He said any petrol pump found involved in such “unethical practices” should be closed immediately, its licence cancelled and legal proceedings initiated against the owners.
The prime minister also directed the federal minister for petroleum to visit the provinces and, in coordination with provincial governments, devise a comprehensive strategy to ensure conservation of petroleum products and their uninterrupted supply to the public.
He further ordered the development of a digital dashboard to monitor the movement of petroleum products across the country. The system will enable real-time data sharing with provinces and help authorities closely monitor transportation and distribution of fuel.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, federal ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Ahsan Iqbal Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervaiz Malik and Owais Khan Leghari, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, Governor State Bank of Pakistan Jameel Ahmad, chief secretaries of the four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, along with senior officials.
