Pakistan

PM summons meeting on fuel shortage tomorrow, cancels other engagements

Nawaz Sharif says people should not suffer and every measure will be taken to provide them relief on immediate basis

Abdul Manan January 18, 2015

PHOTO: REUTERS

ISLAMABAD: As the acute shortage of petrol in many parts of the country worsens, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced to cancel his official engagements scheduled for Monday (tomorrow) in order to chair meetings to address the deepening crisis.

The premier will chair meetings on fuel management, focusing on the provision of immediate relief to the people and is expected to take important decisions, taking to task those responsible for the current shortage and ensure measures are taken to bridge the supply-demand gap.

“The prime minister unequivocally said that people should not suffer and every measure will be taken to provide them relief on immediate basis,” a statement from the PM House stated on Sunday.

Just yesterday, the prime minister suspended four senior government officials, including some who had consistently been warning the government in advance of the impending crisis.

Petroleum Secretary Abid Saeed, Additional Secretary Mohammad Naeem Malik, Director General Oil Muhammad Azam and Pakistan State Oil’s Managing Director Amjad Parvez Janjua were suspended from their duties.

The move to suspend the officials followed days of bad publicity for the government in the shape of continued news coverage of the petrol shortage, which has left thousands stranded in severe weather on the streets of urban Punjab, the heart of the prime minister’s political power base.

Officials told The Express Tribune that the petroleum ministry had informed the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in its meeting on January 10 that the country’s oil stocks on an average were enough for 18 days of consumption on January 6. The figures were calculated by the director general oil of the petroleum ministry.

However, Punjab started facing petrol shortages soon after the ECC meeting. Within days, the situation worsened and petrol stations ran dry with people scrambling to purchase whatever fuel available at the filling stations.

But as oil companies and government officials continued to trade accusations on Friday, with neither side willing to accept culpability for the sudden crunch in petrol supplies in the northern half of the country both sides agree on one fact: there was an unprecedented surge in demand for petrol after the government decided to reduce prices.