Islamabad, March 6 Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday ordered strict action against any hoarding of petroleum products in the country, as officials scrambled to mitigate the impact of the ongoing conflict in Iran on energy supplies.
He presided over a high-level meeting on petroleum products, which was attended by ministers and representatives from all four provinces.
According to a handout from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Ministry of Petroleum provided a detailed briefing on the country's stocks of petroleum products, in the context of the evolving situation in the region.
The ministry told the participants that there were sufficient reserves of petroleum products to meet national needs.
According to the handout, Shehbaz directed provincial governments to take strict legal action against those hoarding petroleum products.
He said that any petrol pump involved in the illegal practice of creating an artificial shortage should be immediately closed, its license cancelled, and legal action taken against it.
The premier also instructed the petroleum minister to visit the provinces and, in coordination with the provincial governments, prepare a strategy and plan for conserving petroleum products and ensuring their uninterrupted supply to the public.
He further directed that a dashboard be created to monitor the movement of petroleum products, through which data can be shared with the provinces in real time and the transportation of petroleum products can be monitored, the statement said.
The meeting was held in the wake of the war in West Asia and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is expected to cause a serious disruption in the transportation of petroleum products from the region.
Pakistan is heavily dependent on these supplies and is already considering options to address the fallout, including implementing work-from-home to save fuel.
