Addressing the nation late on Friday night, the prime minister said he was speaking “at such a historic moment when, by the grace of Allah, there is talk of peace in the Middle East instead of war,” and that parties which “were until yesterday facing each other in war, and the region presenting a scene of devastation, are now ready to resolve the crisis through talks.”
He thanked the Iranian and United States leadership for accepting his offer and agreeing not only to a temporary ceasefire but also coming to Islamabad on his invitation, where he said dialogues would be held to establish peace.
He categorically thanked Field Marshal Asim Munir and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for playing a key and historic role in extinguishing the flames of war and persuading the parties to agree to negotiations. “In this regard, Field Marshal Asim Munir’s services will be remembered in history in golden words,” he added.
The prime minister said that a temporary ceasefire had been announced, but a more difficult phase now lay ahead — a lasting ceasefire and resolving the outstanding issues through negotiations — calling it a “make or break” situation. He appealed to the public to pray that Allah, in His infinite mercy, may make these negotiations successful, saying this would save many innocent lives and help establish peace in the world.
He added that the leadership of both countries would be present in Islamabad the following day, and that the Pakistani leadership would make every possible sincere effort to ensure the success of the talks, leaving the outcome to Allah Almighty.
“For this purpose, the leadership of both countries will be present in Islamabad the following day, and the Pakistani leadership will make every possible sincere effort to ensure the success of these talks,” he said, while adding that the outcome of the talks is left to Allah Almighty.
“For this purpose, the leadership of both countries will be present in Islamabad the following day, and the Pakistani leadership will make every possible sincere effort to ensure the success of these talks,” he said, adding that the outcome of the talks would be left to Allah Almighty.
Last month, the government increased the prices of petroleum products by Rs55 per litre, citing a rise in international market rates amid the US-Iran war in the Middle East.
Officials said that for the next three weeks, the government refrained from further price increases, with the prime minister bearing the brunt of the adjustment by providing a subsidy of Rs129 billion.
However, on April 2, the government raised the petrol price by Rs137 per litre, taking it to a record Rs458.4, while also increasing the price of high-speed diesel to Rs520.35 per litre — an increase of Rs185 per litre or 55 per cent.
Shortly after the announcement, within 24 hours, PM Shehbaz reduced the petroleum levy on petrol by Rs80 per litre, bringing the petrol price down to Rs378 per litre.