Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had cancelled all his official engagements to focus on the fuel crisis, went into a meeting with ministers and bureaucrats on the situation on Monday afternoon and constituted a two-member investigation team subordinate to the ministers for finance and petroleum.

At their separate news conferences, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar absolved himself of any direct or indirect responsibility for the petrol shortage and termed it “a conspiracy against the government”, while Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi apologised to the nation for the hardship and said he be taken to task if found responsible for the crisis.

Mr Abbasi said the investigation team would submit its report to the prime minister on Tuesday. He appealed to the public to avoid panic buying as supplies had been beefed up and promised over Rs5 per litre reduction in prices of petroleum products on Feb 1.thanks friends.