By Our Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The Oil Marketing Association of Pakistan (OMAP) has urged Federal Minister for Energy (Petroleum Division) Ali Pervaiz Malik to immediately intervene in the matter of the Sindh government’s newly imposed 1.85% Infrastructure Cess and mandatory bank guarantee requirement, warning that the policy could trigger a nationwide petrol shortage.
In a letter to the minister, OMAP Chairman Tariq Wazir Ali cautioned that the Sindh government’s new policy poses a serious threat to Pakistan’s petroleum supply chain. He warned that if the bank guarantee condition is not withdrawn, oil imports could be disrupted, leading to acute fuel shortages across the country.
Tariq Wazir Ali explained that oil marketing companies (OMCs) are already facing financial pressure due to delays in sales tax refunds, foreign exchange losses, and low profit margins. The new requirement to submit bank guarantees, he said, would freeze their working capital and make fuel imports nearly impossible.
He further noted that the cess effectively adds Rs2.5 to Rs3 per litre to petroleum product prices, making continued imports financially unviable. OMAP warned that if the policy remains in place, delays in oil imports at Karachi Port could lead to dry petrol pumps nationwide.
The association appealed to the Federal Minister for Energy to engage immediately with the Sindh government and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to ensure uninterrupted fuel imports and prevent a looming energy crisis.
“This matter demands urgent attention,” Tariq Wazir Ali said, emphasizing that any delay in action could lead to a severe nationwide fuel shortage, affecting both the economy and the industrial sector.
Representing all registered oil marketing companies in Pakistan, OMAP reaffirmed its commitment to cooperate with the government but stressed that federal-level intervention is crucial to prevent the situation from spiraling into a full-blown crisis.
