The Pakistan government is planning a subsidized fuel scheme for vehicle users, particularly motorcyclists and rickshaw drivers, to ease the impact of recent petroleum price hikes. Officials informed the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum that the initiative follows a similar program recently introduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Petroleum Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh stated that Pakistan currently has sufficient fuel reserves, including petrol for 27 days, diesel for 21 days, jet fuel for 14 days, crude oil for 11 days, and LNG for nine days. The government has also allowed the import of petroleum products below Euro 5 standards to ensure uninterrupted supply.
A separate meeting of the petrol monitoring committee, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, confirmed that fuel requirements for March are fully secured, with coverage extending to mid-April under current import plans. Officials are monitoring stocks closely to prevent hoarding and shortages.
The recent increase in fuel prices was introduced to discourage hoarding and did not benefit oil marketing companies. Disruptions in LNG supplies from Qatar since March 2 have reduced domestic gas supply to the power sector, raising the possibility of costly spot LNG purchases.
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