Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed to ensure uninterrupted gas and power supply to the consumers during the holy month of Ramazan.

Chairing a meeting on the petroleum sector, he also directed for provision of every possible facility to the private sector, and local and foreign investors in the exploration of gas and oil, refining and distribution of these natural resources.

The meeting was attended by Senators Ishaq Dar and Dr Musadik Malik, Sheza Fatima Khawaja, Ahad Khan Cheema, Jahanzeb Khan, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ali Pervaiz Malik and relevant senior officers, PMO press release said.

The PM said that the government was not meant to do business rather its responsibility was to extend all kinds of facilities to the private sector and ensure protection of the rights of the consumers especially the vulnerable segments of the society.

He also asked for steps for the promotion of global investment in the exploration of Tight Gas and undersea oil and gas reserves, regretting that Pakistan’s maritime area was huge when compared with Balochistan province but no steps were taken to explore its hidden natural resources.

He stressed upon exploration of undersea natural resources including oil and gas reserves and their full utilization was among the top priorities of the government.

Emphasising enhancing the petroleum refining capacity of the country, he sought the formulation of a comprehensive strategy to do away with the circular debt of oil and gas sectors and work out a durable solution to the issue.

He also instructed to reduce the gas sector losses through smart metering and identify and take strict action against the thieves of gas and oil.

“I will not allow any more wastage of the people’s hard-earned money and the loss to the national exchequer,” the prime minister remarked.

He instructed strict monitoring of the LPG sector to ensure the provision of the commodity to consumers at low prices.

Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to ensure uninterrupted gas supply to the industrial sector, besides ensuring the installation of energy-efficient machinery in the industries.

He also called for encouraging domestic consumers to prefer using electricity instead of gas in their daily lives.

The prime minister also sought an implementation report on the steps taken during the previous tenures for energy conservation, besides emphasising the uplift of administrative infrastructure of the energy sector at par with international standards.

The meeting was also apprised of the reserves of tight gas and undersea oil reserves and the interest of the foreign investors in the sector.

It was told that work on LPG Policy 2024 was underway and consultation with the stakeholders was in progress.

The participants were also briefed about the energy consumption and mineral sector.

The prime minister instructed the relevant authorities to implement the energy sector reforms on a priority basis.