‘Scarcity of energy’: PM Shehbaz urges nation, govt to display responsible attitude

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Saturday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked the nation and the government to display a responsible attitude in light of the current energy crisis. “There is scarcity of energy. If we avoid travelling, try to opt work from home, continue the usual work in universities with e-learning and avoid the unnecessary entertainment it is equal to saving a dollar that we have earned or managed it from somewhere to arrange for the fuel,” Malik said in a press briefing alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. Malik further said the premier urged the people to play their role with responsibility and assist those in need around them. He vowed on behalf of the prime minister that the government would “leave no stone unturned for gathering further resources in consultation with the provincial governments to deal with the crisis […] by providing protection to the weakest section of the society”. The petroleum minister said the time had arrived to make a decision about whether the “government has to provide protection” to the people with massive respect and resources, or to those who earn their livelihoods with hard work, such as bike riders and those driving rickshaws. “The time has probably come that the government will review the schemes afresh and divert the limited resources for the protection of the weak strata of the society,“ he added.

Terming the hike in global oil prices “unprecedented”, Malik highlighted that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had arranged for crude oil from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in these difficult times through diplomatic channels. “The Strait of Hormuz is closed. However, Saudi Arabia is providing uninterrupted supply of crude oil to Pakistan through Red Sea, while the UAE is also providing oil to us through Fujairah out of the Strait waterways,” he stated. At the outset of his address, the minister remarked that the joy of Eid had been overshadowed because the entire region was mired in conflicts. Malik lashed out at the former PTI government led by Imran Khan, saying, “The prime minister took entirely different decisions as compared to the measures taken by the then PTI government in 2022 in the similar situation. [At that time] without any preparation the then-government had taken the country on the course of bankruptcy.”

“During the last three weeks the price of crude oil has reached the highest in the recent history,” the minister said, adding a two-fold and three-fold increase in the prices of crude oil was observed, while the prices of diesel which is based on Platts increased from $80 per barrel to more than $200 per barrel. He described the hike in petroleum prices and passing the burden to the market as a “bold decision” made by PM Shehbaz. “The premier also sent a clear message to the refineries that they should not hesitate from purchasing expensive fuel so that there would be no disruption in the supply and assuring them that the full amount will be recovered by the government. “The prime priority is to ensure the availability of fuel,” Malik said, adding that the austerity measures taken by the government had ensured savings worth Rs27 billion in a special fund. The savings would be used in preventing passing down the oil price hikes to the common people, the Petroleum minister added. Addressing the briefing, the information minister lauded “timely decisions” taken by the prime minister to replenish the country’s oil reserves, saying “many countries in the region were following fuel rationing mechanisms”. However, he said, the premier formed a committee and held daily review meetings, which “ensured reasonable oil reserves in the country”. He stated that oil cargoes for the future were also being arranged. Tarar warned that the absence of a fuel shortage did not mean that resources should be “misused”, adding the available resources were “very expensive”, and Gulf oil prices were skyrocketing. He added that significant efforts were made to ensure that no additional burden was passed on to the public after the initial increase of Rs55 in petrol price. To prevent further rise in prices of petroleum products, the information minister urged that austerity and simplicity measures would be adopted to conserve fuel, like avoiding unnecessary travel and adopting an oil conservation approach — shared mobility, such as carpooling. “Those who own more than one car should prefer vehicles with lower fuel consumption to reduce fuel usage,” he added. Tarar further said that over the past two weeks, the federal government provided relief to people amounting to Rs69 billion by not increasing the price of fuel.