LAHORE: Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has said the government may continue its petrol subsidy scheme for up to 10 months, if necessary, to provide relief to consumers amid rising pressures on household budgets.
Speaking to the media in Lahore on Sunday, Malik said the government was aware of the difficulties being faced by the public and would pass on any reduction in international oil prices to consumers.
“The petrol subsidy scheme will be continued for the public if it has to run for 10 months,” he said.
According to the minister, the government is currently spending around Rs35 billion to Rs40 billion per month on the subsidy scheme, which was introduced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to provide relief of up to Rs100 per litre on petrol.
Malik said more than six million people have registered for the scheme so far. He added that Pakistan has more than 25 million motorcycles that are around 20 years old, making fuel relief particularly important for lower-income and working-class users.
He said the government would continue the subsidy for as long as necessary, including until the end of the ongoing war, if required to shield the public from its economic impact.
The petroleum minister also thanked petrol pump owners for extending the subsidy benefit to consumers without charging additional fees.
Malik said the government would avoid repeating what he described as mistakes made by the previous administration, which, according to him, announced relief measures without adequate preparation and brought the country close to default.
Clarifying his recent remarks that petrol prices could reach Rs1,000 per litre, Malik said his comments had been taken out of context. He explained that he was referring to the difficulty of controlling prices in the event of a petrol shortage.
“Due to the prime minister’s better decisions, there will be no petrol shortage in Pakistan,” he said, adding that the government was closely monitoring the country’s fuel supply situation.
