PM vows all-out efforts to secure winter energy supplies

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government is working to secure LNG, LPG and oil for winter as international prices rise and shipping routes face disruption. At a federal cabinet meeting on Wednesday, he said officials are reviewing supply needs every two to three days and preparing contingency plans to keep power plants operating while limiting the impact of higher energy costs on households.

Sharif said locally produced LPG will be sold through supervised competitive auctions after the end of a decades-old sector monopoly, with auction proceeds directed to the national treasury for subsidies and public relief. The subsidy programme, which has received around Rs28bn and reached an estimated 75mn people including family members, is to continue at least through December. He also credited refineries’ contribution of windfall profits with helping avert a proposed Rs15 per litre petrol price increase, while directing action against petrol pumps where irregularities were found.