Pakistan’s fuel stocks enough for only 14 days, dealers reject OGRA report

2026-03-05 - 18:03

KARACHI: The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has challenged the official petroleum reserve figures released by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), claiming the numbers are misleading, ARY News reported. PPDA Chairman Abdul Sami Khan stated that petroleum product reserves in the country are sufficient for only 14 days, contradicting OGRA’s reports. He warned that continued supply disruptions could lead to worsening conditions across fuel stations nationwide. The dealers’ association has cautioned that if the situation persists, they may be forced to close petrol pumps across Pakistan. Abdul Sami Khan noted that fuel distribution to dealers is not being carried out based on average consumption, leading to shortages at the pumps. He highlighted that the suspension of Iranian petrol and diesel imports has increased pressure on oil marketing companies, while the quota system for distributing petroleum products has compounded the challenges. Meanwhile, OGRA urged the public to remain calm, assuring that there are sufficient petroleum reserves in the country, and advised against unnecessary panic buying. In light of the potential crisis, petroleum dealers have requested the IG of Sindh to provide security to petrol stations to prevent possible disruptions and ensure smooth operations. OMAP warns of possible fuel shortage across Pakistan Earlier, the Oil Marketing Association of Pakistan (OMAP) warned that fuel supply across the country could be disrupted if issues related to product allocation by local refineries were not addressed. In a letter issued from Lahore, OMAP expressed serious concern over what it described as a deviation by local refineries from previously agreed supply commitments. According to the letter, oil marketing companies had planned their supply operations based on assurances that domestic refineries would provide petroleum products in quantities agreed during the product review meeting. However, the Oil Marketing Association of Pakistan said the refineries had not delivered supplies according to those commitments. Chairman of the oil marketing companies group, Tariq Wazir Ali, said many companies had refrained from arranging imported cargo shipments after receiving assurances that local refineries would meet the required demand. He added that refineries later introduced a new product distribution mechanism without prior coordination with oil marketing companies. Under the new system, companies were reportedly receiving significantly smaller quantities of petroleum products than expected. The Oil Marketing Association of Pakistan further warned that alternative supply sources were not readily available at the time, which could have created serious challenges for maintaining stable fuel availability in the market.