LAHORE: Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervez Malik has said that petrol remains expensive but the government has ensured that no shortage of fuel is allowed anywhere in the country, despite limited resources.
Speaking at an event in Lahore, the minister said the government had made every effort to provide relief to consumers and keep petroleum prices under control.
“Petrol is still expensive, but we have not allowed a shortage anywhere,” the minister said, adding that fuel availability remained stable despite economic and regional challenges.
He said the situation in neighbouring countries was more difficult, where consumers were reportedly being provided only two litres of petrol upon showing their identity cards.
The minister also stated that the Turkish Petroleum company was about to start drilling activities in the offshore areas of Pakistan, which might lead to the investment of a huge amount of money in the country.
Ali Pervez Malik was optimistic that the exploration in the offshore area would provide new vistas for the energy sector of Pakistan and lead to its further development and investment.
Speaking on national level events, the minister mentioned that the PML-N stands for practical politics and reminded of the times when the Nawaz Sharif government made Pakistan a nuclear state.
He added that the country had become a guardian of peace and security in the region amid the Iran-US conflict, stressing the importance of collaboration between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye.
The minister said Saudi Arabia’s economic strength, Türkiye’s development and Pakistan’s defence capabilities could play an important role in strengthening the region.
He also praised the capabilities of Pakistan’s armed forces, saying their expertise had been recognised internationally.
Ali Pervez Malik acknowledged that Pakistan faced economic challenges during the Iran-US conflict but said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken difficult decisions to steer the country towards development.
He said the government’s next major goal was to achieve stronger economic performance and sustainable progress.
