The sources said that diesel stocks were depleting fast as only 18-day supply remained in the country….reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been warned by economists and industry experts that the country would face the worst shortage of diesel next month amid the harvesting season as its stocks are plummeting, Express Tribune reported.
Sources told The Express Tribune that the experts had urged Premier Shehbaz to increase oil prices in order to avoid the swelling price differential claims that accumulated to around Rs 60 billion in only one month of April 2022.
The prime minister was also informed that there would be no protests if the oil prices were increased. However, protests would start if diesel was not available in the market due to poor financial health of the oil industry on account of rising price differential claims. The interesting thing was that there was no approval from the government to clear the price differential claims of the oil industry.
Further, PM Shehbaz had refused to increase the oil prices despite the grave situation of the oil industry.
The sources said that diesel stocks were depleting fast as only 18-day supply remained in the country.
The Pakistan State Oil (PSO) was the country’s largest oil exporter. Earlier, it had made an attempt to import diesel by floating a tender but no trader participated.
Now, the PSO had arranged one diesel cargo at the highest premium rate of $13 due to non-availability of diesel in the global market following the Russia and Ukraine war.
Sharif meets Bajwa
Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa, called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday, a week after the latter became the 23rd Prime Minister of the country by ousting PTI Chairman Imran Khan through a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, media reports said.
During the meeting, professional matters, including national security issues, were discussed, said a brief statement issued on Tuesday evening, Express Tribune reported.
Earlier in the day, the members of the federal cabinet were administered oaths by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani after the unavailability of President Arif Alvi.
The meeting came amid an increase in attacks on security forces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, resulting in the martyrdom of soldiers over the weeks.
In a strongly-worded statement, Pakistan had told the Afghan Taliban to put an end to cross-border attacks emanating from Afghan soil.
Similarly, the Army is facing a smear campaign on social media following the removal of the PTI government. The Army chief had recently said that efforts made to create a “wedge between the Army and the people won’t be tolerated”.
“The hostile forces are trying this for a long time, but they won’t succeed,” the Inter-Services Public Relations had quoted Bajwa as saying.