Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed an eight-member ministerial committee to review proposed reforms for the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) sector, after marketing companies and dealers protested that the new policy was being finalised without consulting them. The committee, headed by the petroleum minister, has one month to report back.
The Petroleum Division’s proposals would let state-owned enterprises — including PSO, the Sui companies, PARCO and Pakistan LNG — enter the LPG import business and take over monthly price-setting from the regulator Ogra, using import-parity pricing linked to Saudi Aramco rates and actual import costs. The committee must also review cylinder standards, action against illegal sales and a proposed local LPG model.
The review comes as supply disruptions, including halted trade at the Iranian border and fewer sea shipments, have pushed a standard 11.57kg domestic cylinder to Rs6,000-7,200 in the market, against Ogra’s notified price of about Rs3,296. Until the committee reports, households face the same gap between the official price and the market price.
Sources: Dawn, GTV News (Prime Minister’s Office notification, 29 October). Written in our own words for information only.