Govt vows fuel relief of up to Rs500b

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Sunday that the government would continue the fuel subsidy system for up to 10 months, if necessary, and divert Rs400 billion to Rs500 billion from its budget to provide relief to the public. Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, the minister said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had pledged to pass on the benefit to the public as soon as oil prices started falling in the international market. "People are facing immense difficulties because of petrol," he said. He said the prime minister had reduced the petrol price by Rs100 per litre. "More than six million people had registered their motorcycles and cars" to avail this Rs100 per litre fuel relief, he said. "The prime minister and this government will not take even one step back in this difficult hour," the minister said. "If we have to run this subsidy system for 10 months, this government will cut Rs400 billion to Rs500 billion from its budget and spend it on the people," the minister continued. "The prime minister is aware of the difficulties faced by the people. The government will not repeat what the previous government did in 2022." Turning to the security situation, Malik said Pakistan was more important than politics and urged people not to engage in internal conflicts at a time when the country was facing security challenges. "The state is not so weak that anyone could 'march on Islamabad' to secure someone's release," he said. While referring to letters written by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz to National Assembly Opposition leader Mahmood Achakzai, he asked whether it was not the time for everyone to fulfil their responsibilities from their respective positions. The minister said Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi should visit the families of the martyrs, adding that he feared negligence could expose the state to a threat. "It is not appropriate today that we get involved in our own fights," he said. Malik also referred to a terrorist incident in Dera Ismail Khan in which he said 13 to 14 people were martyred, while Rescue 1122 vehicles were attacked. He also mentioned deaths in Bannu and other places and prayed for the high ranks of the martyrs.