LAHORE (Kashmir English): Federal Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said that the government will continue the petrol subsidy scheme until the conflict ends.
Speaking to the media, he added that the government is currently spending between 35 and 40 billion rupees monthly on the petrol subsidy scheme, and if the scheme needs to run for ten months, it will be maintained for the public’s benefit.
He acknowledged the hardships faced by the public, stating that the benefit of cheaper petrol, resulting from falling global market prices, would be passed on to the people.
He noted that the Prime Minister introduced a scheme to reduce petrol prices by 100 rupees per liter, with over 6 million people registering for it; there are more than 25 million motorcycles that are over 20 years old.
Expressing gratitude to petrol pump owners across Pakistan for extending the scheme’s benefits to the public without levying extra charges, he emphasized that they would not repeat the actions of the previous government, whose unprepared relief measures had brought Pakistan to the brink of bankruptcy.
Ali Pervaiz Malik further clarified that his statement from the previous week had been misrepresented; he had merely noted that controlling prices would be impossible in the event of a petrol shortage.
He added that, thanks to the Prime Minister’s prudent decisions, Pakistan would not face a fuel shortage, and that they are actively monitoring the situation.
