ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Petroleum Division Dr Musadik Malik has said that the poor people of the country will get cheaper petrol as the government has decided to cut the POL prices for low-income group of society.
Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the state minister said that the difference between the petrol prices for the low-income group and the rich would be Rs100/litre.
He said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered to implement this decision immediately. We will implement the ‘cheap petrol’ decision within six weeks.
He said that the motorcyclists would be provided cheap petrol while people having big cars would buy petrol at higher rates.
He said that he told the prime minister that we had two countries in Pakistan: one for the poor and the other for the rich. He said that PM Shehbaz and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif instructed him that “if that is the case then you should stand by the poor’.
He said that the government has separated the tariff for the rich and the poor. “Our leadership has lowered the gas tariff for the poor people by four times since January. We also respect the rich. But they will have to pay four times more. And we will utilize this money to provide gas to the poor,” he added.
The minister said that like gas tariff, PM Shehbaz and Nawaz Sharif also asked him to separate the petrol rates for the poor and the rich.
He said that yesterday media reported that the petrol price for the low income groups would be lowered by Rs50/litre. But later, the premier ordered to slash it by Rs100, he added.
Malik said that the ‘haves’ who lead a luxurious life and use expensive cars, they should buy fuel at original price. He said that 220 million live in Pakistan and 210 million of them are poor. The ‘have-nots’ should also be provided the amenities of life, he maintained.
He said that the government has introduced different tariff schemes on two fuel products (gas and petrol) so far. But we will bring a third programme in next few weeks where the rich will be taxed and the government will try to bring ease in the lives of poor people, the minister added.
