LAHORE, Pakistan: The federal government on Saturday decided to suspend four officers including secretary petroleum Abid Saeed, additional secretary petroleum Naeem Malik, director general oil M Azam and managing director PSO Dr Amjad Janjua for current petrol crisis.
In a meeting held at the Lahore airport on Saturday evening on his return home after a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took notice of shortage of petrol in different parts of the country, and asked provincial governments to check black-marketing of petrol.
The prime minister directed to expedite the supply and delivery of petrol.
CNG stations in Lahore reopen due to petrol crises
Earlier in the day, the minister for petroleum and natural resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told media that the compressed natural gas (CNG) stations are being reopened only in Lahore in view of shortage of petrol.
The minister said that there is shortage of gas and currently, it is not possible to reopen CNG stations in the entire Punjab.
However, he said, that in case of availability of additional gas, the option of providing CNG to other cities will also be considered.
Khaqan Abbasi said that restoring CNG can affect gas supply to domestic consumers in the vicinity of the CNG stations but assured that priority will be given to domestic consumers.
The decision to reopen CNG stations was taken after the Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif proposed to the federal petroleum minister to allow reopening of CNG stations in view of the prevalent petrol crisis.
The Chief Minister said that until the petrol supply situation improves, the CNG stations should be allowed to reopen to facilitate the people as the shortage of petroleum products is badly harming the normal life.
