President Zardari directs govt to ease burden of petroleum prices, prioritise public relief

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday directed the government to minimise the burden of petroleum product prices to facilitate the common man.

According to a statement issued by the President House on X, President Zardari met with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Finance Minister Aurangzeb, and Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik at Bhutto House, Naudero.

The finance and petroleum ministers briefed the president on economic indicators, the energy sector, and government measures in response to rising petroleum product prices.

President Zardari directed the ministers to prioritise public relief in economic policies, taking into account the regional situation, and emphasised that the burden of petroleum prices should be minimised to assist ordinary citizens.

They also reviewed the broader law and order situation, the economic outlook, the energy sector, and the impact of petroleum price fluctuations.

The interior minister briefed the president on ongoing counter-terrorism operations and border security. The session also included a review of Pak-Afghan tensions and regional security challenges.

Also present at the meeting were PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Sindh Provincial Minister Nasir Hussain.

PM Shehbaz reviews food stock situation

Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reviewed the country’s food stock situation during a meeting with Minister for Food Security Rana Tanveer .

The meeting focused on the availability of essential commodities and overall national food reserves. The prime minister also extended Eidul Fitr greetings to the minister.

Tanveer briefed the prime minister on food reserves, assuring him that essential commodities were available in sufficient quantities across the country.

He also updated the premier on progress related to the export of food items to Gulf countries.

Earlier this month, the government sharply increased diesel and petrol prices by Rs55 per litre or 20% — marking the first increase in a series of similar surges in the coming days due to the ongoing US-Israel and Iran war, which has disrupted supply chains and pushed crude oil prices to two years’ highest level.

Read More: PM Shehbaz says petroleum prices to remain unchanged

The increase in petrol prices was more than the surge in the international market, as the government chose to collect more money than required from motorcyclists and car owners to subsidise the use of diesel, mostly by the public transport and the agriculture sector.

However, a week later, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the prices of petroleum products would not be increased despite a further rise in international oil prices.