Poor will not be burdened from gas price hike: Musadik Malik

• Musadik Malik said we would be able to reduce circular debt
• He said problems in the gas sector would be fixed
• Govt will satisfy both the IMF and general public.

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik on Saturday said multiple proposals were papered for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) review; but let me be clear, the poor would not be burdened from gas price hike.

Talking to a private news channel, the state minister claimed that his ministry had devised a broader framework under which 50 percent of the country’s total population, comprising the poorest of the poor, would be saved from the gas price hike.

The Prime Minister has been presented with suggestions that, if approved, will satisfy both the IMF and the general populace.

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Musadik Malik said that very soon, we would be able to cut down circular debt and the problems in the gas sector would be fixed.

Repudiating the possibility or proposals to extend the constitutional term by imposing a financial emergency, he said that no such proposal or possibility had been considered at the party level.

On December 18, Musadik Malik had said Pakistan would import 20,000 tons of additional gas from Azerbaijan during the next two months to meet its demand in the country.

Talking to a local news channel, he had said the Russian petroleum minister would visit Pakistan in January 2023 for holding negotiations on an agreement for import of crude oil from Russia.

Musadik Malik was confident that Russia would export crude oil to Pakistan on discount rate.

He had said the government was working on TAPI gas pipeline project to import 1300 billion MF Gas yearly from Azerbaijan to meet the gas shortage in the country.