Islamabad, March 6, 2026: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed provincial governments to immediately seal petrol pumps, cancel licenses, and initiate legal action against those found hoarding petroleum products and creating artificial shortages.
The directive came during a high-level meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on the availability and distribution of petroleum products amid the changing regional situation. Officials from the Ministry of Petroleum briefed the meeting that adequate stocks of petroleum products are available nationwide to meet demand.
Prime Minister Shehbaz instructed the Minister for Petroleum to visit the provinces and work in collaboration with provincial authorities to formulate a strategy for conserving petroleum products and ensuring their uninterrupted supply to the public. He also emphasized the creation of a real-time monitoring dashboard to track the movement of petroleum products across the country, enabling better oversight and timely action against violations.
Key Directives from the Meeting:
• Immediate sealing and license cancellation for petrol pumps involved in hoarding
• Initiation of legal proceedings against hoarders
• Development of a national action plan for petroleum conservation
• Real-time dashboard for tracking product transportation
The meeting was attended by Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Awais Khan Leghari, Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar, Jameel Ahmad, chief secretaries of all four provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, along with senior government officials.
Officials stressed that the government is committed to ensuring fair distribution of petroleum products, preventing artificial shortages, and maintaining price stability in the domestic market.