PHOTO: REUTERS
However, Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was unable to attend today's meeting as he departed for Qatar early this morning to hold talks with the Qatar government on 'key' issues.
Earlier on Wednesday, the prime minister cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos to deal with the severe petrol shortage at home, officials and state media said Thursday.
State media said Nawaz Sharif cancelled the visit "in view of the prevailing domestic situation" and had convened a high-level meeting in Islamabad to review petrol supplies.
The fuel crisis began last week when Pakistan State Oil was forced to slash imports because banks refused to extend any more credit to the government-owned business, which supplies 80 percent of the country's oil.
The situation has eased slightly, but queues of vehicles were still seen at filling stations in Islamabad and other parts of the country, particularly Punjab.
A spokesman for Sharif confirmed to AFP in a short text message that the "Prime minister has cancelled his trip" to Davos.
A spokesperson for opposition leader Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) party has said it was planning nationwide protests over the petrol crisis.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Water and Power Minister Khawaja Asif however, were both in attendance of the meeting.
Sources at the PM House said the meeting was set to review the demand and supply of petroleum in the country over the course of the next two months. The premier urged all concerned ministries to ensure seamless coordination to ensure a steady supply of petrol in all parts of the country.
Earlier, the prime minister held the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority responsible for the fuel shortages in the country.
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On Thursday, the premier also directed the concerned departments to ensure that the general public be apprised of the supply situation through the media to dispel any impression of further shortages."Strict action would be taken against all those responsible for creating this hardship on the public," the PM was reported as saying.
The premier was scheduled to depart for Switzerland on Wednesday to attend the World Economic Forum. However, Nawaz had to postpone his visit due to the urgency of the petroleum crisis.
The petroleum ministry has also established a 'Situation Room' which will be functional 24 hours a day and will be monitoring the supply and sale of the Premier Motor Gasoline (PMG). The supply of PMG at various depots in the country will also be monitored.
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"The prime minister is continuously being updated on the demand and supply situation of fuel in the country going forward," a government source said.
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