KP CM Sohail Afridi. Photo: screenshot
PESHAWAR:
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi has firmly clarified the provincial government’s stance on emerging challenges in fuel supply, stating that his administration will not support any measures that directly impose additional financial pressure on the public.
The statement came during a high-level meeting with Federal Ministers of Finance and Petroleum, where officials briefed the Chief Minister on possible disruptions in oil supplies arising from escalating tensions in the Middle East involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Discussions focused on potential constraints on global supply chains and their knock-on effects on domestic fuel prices, amid recent sharp increases in international oil costs.
Chief Minister Afridi emphasized that governments have a fundamental duty to protect citizens during crises rather than passing the consequences directly on them. He criticized the practice of maintaining generous, non-essential government spending while ordinary people are forced to absorb the consequences through rising oil prices, describing it as poor governance.
“Tensions between Iran, the United States and Israel should not serve as an excuse to heap additional economic pressure on citizens by increasing fuel prices,” Afridi said. He urged all levels of government to exercise strict fiscal discipline and prudent resource management.
