Petroleum minister vows transparency on fuel prices

Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has acknowledged growing public hardship caused by rising fuel prices, saying the government understands the difficulties faced by consumers and is providing transparent information about how petrol prices are determined.

Speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Petroleum, chaired by Mustafa Mahmood, the minister said regional tensions had created a serious disruption in global oil supplies. The crisis has affected the availability and prices of petrol, diesel and crude oil.

Malik said diesel prices had reached exceptionally high levels amid the ongoing supply crisis. He acknowledged that the situation was putting significant pressure on ordinary citizens and said the government was aware of their concerns.

During the meeting, PPP leader Naveed Qamar questioned the role of the petroleum levy, describing it as a form of non-tax revenue that is largely controlled by the executive. He argued that parliamentarians do not directly vote on changes to the levy and that the government can alter it through executive decisions.

In response, Malik said petroleum levy targets had already been incorporated into the federal budget. He explained that making major changes to those targets could not be done without consultation with multilateral partners.

The minister also rejected suggestions that the government was withholding information about fuel pricing. He said details of the pricing mechanism and related charges were publicly available on the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) website.

Malik confirmed that the petroleum levy remained part of the fuel price structure, with the levy on petrol and diesel reaching around Rs80 per litre.

During the meeting, committee member Mueen Amir Pirzada highlighted the difficulties being faced by the public and urged the government to reconsider the impact of high oil prices on consumers.

Responding to the concerns, Malik said the government fully understood the pressure on households. He added that he regularly interacted with people in his constituency and was aware of their difficulties.

The minister maintained that the government was openly informing consumers about the prices calculated under the prevailing international market and domestic pricing conditions. He stressed that transparency remained important as the country dealt with an unprecedented fuel supply and pricing crisis.