Minister promises winter LPG supply as cylinders sell at double rate

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said on Tuesday the government would make its utmost effort to meet demand for liquefied petroleum gas over the winter, at a press conference in Islamabad held while LPG cylinders were being sold in the open market at twice the official rate, according to Dawn.

Dawn reported that supplies have been disrupted by the closure of crossings on the Iranian border. LPG is used to run rickshaws and for cooking and other household work by people who are not connected to the piped gas network.

Malik said he saw the distress the shortage was causing, and referred to the position from December onward. He said the government would work to keep supply going through the winter months.

Dawn carried the press conference under two headlines on Tuesday, one on winter LPG demand and a second that added a hint of "good news" for fuel prices. The reports did not give the size of any coming change in prices, the volume of LPG Pakistan normally imports through the Iranian crossings, or when those crossings were closed.

Also on Tuesday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met a Jamaat-e-Islami delegation led by Liaquat Baloch to discuss petroleum prices and ways to ease the burden on low-income households, The Nation reported.

According to the Foreign Office, the two sides held candid discussions on energy pricing and relief measures and agreed to continue consultations in the coming days to reach a mutually agreed way forward. Dar said the government would put public welfare first and that sustained dialogue across political parties was needed to deal with economic pressures and to design relief measures.

The meeting was attended by the minister for planning, development and special initiatives, the adviser to the prime minister on inter-provincial coordination, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Bajwa, the finance secretary and the special secretary petroleum, The Nation reported.