President Asif Ali Zardari has directed that amid oil and gas supply pressures, escalating energy costs, and the evolving regional environment, all possible measures should be taken to ease the burden of rising prices on the common man, especially for essential goods and services. The President said this while chairing an expanded consultative meeting at Aiwan-e-Sadr in which Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and leadership of provinces as well as Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) also participated. Other participants included Deputy Prime Minister, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar; Minister for Defence, Khawaja Muhammad Asif; Minister for Interior, Senator Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi; National Security Advisor, Lt. General Asim Malik; Chairman PPP, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari; Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb; Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar; Minister for Law, Azam Nazeer Tarar; Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal; Minister for Petroleum, Ali Pervaiz Malik; Minister for Economic Affairs Division and Establishment, Senator Ahad Khan Cheema, Chief Minister Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif; Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah; Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sohail Afridi; Chief Minister Balochistan, Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti; Caretaker Chief Minister Gilgit-Baltistan, Justice (R) Yar Muhammad; Prime Minister AJ&K, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore; Minister for Climate Change, Dr. Musadiq Malik; Minister for IT, Shaza Fatima Khawaja; Minister for Power, Sardar Awais Ahmed Leghari; Advisor to PM, Dr. Syed Tauqir Shah; Advisor to the Prime Minister, Rana Sanaullah Khan; Special Assistant to PM, Mr. Tariq Bajwa; Senior Minister Punjab, Maryam Aurangzeb; Senator Saleem Mandviwala; Dr. Asim Hussain and senior officers of concerned Ministries and Divisions. The meeting was briefed on the steps being taken by governments of the four provinces as well as of Gilgit Baltistan and AJ&K to manage price pressures, ensure availability of essential supplies and mitigate the impact on the public, enabling a coordinated national response. The meeting also reviewed the broader regional situation and its potential effects on Pakistan’s security environment, economic outlook and food security. The meeting was assured that despite the global crisis, timely decisions have ensured no disruption to fuel supply, and that adequate fuel stocks are currently available to meet the country's needs, with arrangements for the future also underway. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister informed the meeting about the government's proactive diplomatic outreach, including his recent engagements with the leadership of Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as well as leaders of countries involved in the conflict. He also briefed the meeting on his upcoming visit to Beijing. The meeting was informed that proposals to increase oil prices had repeatedly been rejected by the Prime Minister, and that funds saved through austerity measures were being channelled towards public relief. It was noted that the spirit of austerity had begun with the government cutting down its own expenditure, including cuts to the development budget and the immediate grounding of 60 percent of official vehicles. The President reiterated that the economically vulnerable people would not be left alone in this difficult time. He directed that coordinated decision-making should be done, with alignment between economic management, energy planning, food security measures and security preparedness. The President also asked for the need for public awareness efforts, focusing on reducing fuel consumption, encouraging the use of public transportation and promoting shared mobility practices as part of a broader demand management approach.
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