ISLAMABAD: The worst petrol crisis has exposed competence of petroleum officials and the claims of the government vis-à-vis good governance, said Pakistan Economy Watch (PEW) President Dr Murtaza Mughal.
Over half of the country’s population and economy continue to suffer because of the fuel scarcity but government seems uninterested in resolving the crisis, said Dr Murtaza Mughal President PEW. He said top government functionaries continue to hide their mismanagement through different baseless excuses. Dr Mughal said the situation could be normalised in two months if there was a political will to resolve the crisis. Blaming petroleum ministry, PSO and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) for the crisis, he said only one cargo was imported in December 2014 while not a single drop of fuel was imported in current month. He said PSO has defaulted on local and international obligations, which has dented its credibility and provision to fuel to defaulters like Pakistan International Airline, Railways, National Logistic Cell, Hubcap and Independent Power Producers was a crime.
He said provision Rs 17 billion to PSO by Finance Ministry was a joke as the institutions need rupees one trillion minimum. The oil marketing companies also broke the law by keeping stocks that could last less than two weeks but these would get a clean chit after a probe, he feared. He said a technocrat should run OGRA and a qualified, experienced and full time chief of PSO could improve things. The masses should brace for a new round of unprecedented loadshedding as oil stocks have dried up, he warned. He said private sector should be allowed to import petroleum products, as they would not give the commodity to defaulters. Government should not push masses to the wall lest it regret the incompetence.
