Refinery upgrades could pave way for diesel price cuts: PPDA chief

Business Recorder reported that Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh believes the ongoing refinery upgrade programme could open the way for further cuts in diesel and other fuel prices. His remarks came in a PPDA statement released on Thursday. They followed a briefing from Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, who met him during a Karachi visit on Wednesday.

According to the chairman, the minister said upgraded plants could handle heavier and lighter crude, which would raise their capacity. Khuda Bakhsh said dealers had put forward ways to lower fuel prices through better domestic refining, as one item in their five-point agenda. The ministry acted on that request, he added, and diesel prices were reduced as a result.

The chairman urged the government to speed up the upgrades so that domestic output could rise in line with national requirements. He also argued that better capacity and efficiency at local refineries could lessen dependence on imported crude and finished products. He insisted that consumers should receive whatever gain follows.