Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Friday that he had rejected another recommendation for an increase in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD).
He made the announcement during an address to the nation, saying that he had received a summary to increase the price of petrol by Rs56 per litre and that of HSD by Rs203 per litre.
“However, I have rejected this summary,” he said.
The premier began his address by speaking about the ongoing war in the Middle East, saying that the government was trying its best to cushion the effects of the skyrocketing prices of oil while also making efforts for the restoration of peace in the region through diplomacy.
“Pakistan is making sincere and full-fledged mediatory efforts on the diplomatic front for an end to this war, so that the region and brotherly Muslim countries no longer face the destructive and negative consequences of this war,” he said. The PM further said the purpose of these efforts was to pave the way for lasting peace through “collective wisdom and consultation”.
“Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts are not merely an international diplomatic responsibility, but they are also purely for the will of Gold and the benefit of ummah,” he said.
PM Shehbaz said irrespective of “which school of thought sect we belong to, as Muslims, we all wish for peace”.
In this context, he continued, he had detailed discussions with the heads of Iran and Gulf countries multiple times. Moreover, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Ishaq Dar had also been working for the restoration of peace while Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was playing an “active and key role” for the success of this process of rapprochement, he added.
“I appeal to you to pray for the fruition of these efforts,” the PM said.
He said the world was currently facing an “extraordinary and extremely challenging situation”, in which even big economies were helpless.
“Even developed countries, which have resources in abundance, are facing an extreme economic crisis,” he said, adding that the potential impact of this economic crisis was not difficult to assess.
But, he said, “we had been preparing beforehand to deal with this storm. We immediately took decisions that were not easy to take”.
The premier said a cut of Rs100 billion in the development budget and austerity measures had allowed the government to reduce the economic burden on the people.
“It must be clear to you that today that every litre of petrol that is filled in your vehicle reflects the government’s policy of austerity and its realisation of responsibility,” he said.
More to follow
