RAWALPINDI: Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Saturday that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government adopting prudent policies to put the country’s economy on track.
Addressing at the public secretariat (NA 59), he said the present government has been working on its reforms agenda, which focuses on improving the country’s economic condition.
“The government is well aware of the problems being faced by the poor and middle-class segments and is taking several innovative steps to improve their lifestyles,” he added.
He said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority had requested an increase of Rs11.91 in prices of petroleum products, but the government hiked the prices by Rs6 only, as it understands the challenges being faced by the masses.
“The prices of petroleum products in Pakistan are comparatively lesser than India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and other countries,” he maintained.
The minister blamed the previous governments for the prevalent economic crisis, saying that poor and short-sighted decisions taken in the past had put a massive burden on the economy.
The minister expressed confidence that the year 2019 would prove to a beneficial one for the country, as “good news is expected from the exploration and production sector”.
He was referring to the offshore drilling which is being carried out by ENI, Exxon Mobil, Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) at an estimated exploration cost of $75 million.
“Exxon Mobil had set a target depth of 5,500 feet, of which 4,400 feet drilling has already been completed,” he added.
Referring to the “propaganda” of the opposition parties, the minister categorically stated that no one would be given a National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) as reiterated by Prime Minister Imran Khan, as “it is the government’s responsibility to bring all those involved in corruption to justice”.
Sarwar said accountability would be held across the board against all corrupt elements so as to eliminate the menace of corruption.
“PM Imran Khan is striving to root out corruption, poverty and unemployment from the country and is trying to introduce reforms in different sectors in order to improve the living standards of the people,” he asserted.
