Officials in Pakistan have confirmed that current petrol and diesel stocks are sufficient to meet the domestic demand for April and the upcoming weeks.
The update was presented in a meeting led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar. In addition to fuel availability, participants also assessed preparedness in light of the developing situation in the Middle East.
Officials said the country has adequate fuel supplies in place for now. During the meeting, the deputy prime minister expressed satisfaction with the existing stock position and asked relevant ministries and authorities to stay closely coordinated.
He also directed officials to ensure uninterrupted fuel availability and take all necessary steps to protect supplies in the coming weeks.
Read: Pakistan Keeps Petrol and Diesel Prices Unchanged
The meeting included the federal ministers for petroleum and economic affairs, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, senior federal secretaries, and provincial chief secretaries and officials. The review comes as Pakistan works on a broader plan to reduce the effect of rising global oil prices on consumers.
Earlier reports said the government had released an initial Rs27 billion to help keep petrol prices stable. On the instructions of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) received the first tranche from the Prime Minister’s Austerity Fund.
The government allocated the funds to partially settle price-differential claims that arose after it shielded consumers from higher international oil prices. Officials arranged the Rs27 billion through federal spending cuts and deposited it into the Prime Minister’s Austerity Fund.
The government is also considering additional cost-cutting measures to continue providing public relief while staying within budget constraints. That suggests authorities are trying to balance consumer protection with fiscal discipline.
