Petroleum Dealers demand refinery audits, call inaction an NRO

KARACHI (Staff Report): Pakistan Petroleum Dealers have said that not conducting a forensic audit of refineries would be tantamount to giving them an NRO, demanding that the government bring out the real facts and give the public its due right.

In a statement, Pakistan Petroleum Dealers said that the statement given by the Petroleum Minister two days ago regarding the profits of refineries has proved our concerns to be correct. We had already pointed out that refineries operating in the country have earned unjustified profits from the pockets of the public. In other words, the public’s pockets have been robbed.

The statement said that the Petroleum Minister revealed on November 1st that refineries earned as much profit in just three months as they normally earn in a year. This situation calls for an immediate, transparent and comprehensive forensic audit of all refineries.

According to petroleum dealers, the forensic audit could reveal scope for a reduction of Rs 40 to 50 per litre in petroleum product prices. Today, talk is of giving only Rs 15 per litre relief to the public, while a complete examination is necessary to know the real facts.

The dealers said that the relief given to the public is not an additional burden on refineries, but rather the public’s own money which was collected in the form of unjustified profit. Talking about only Rs 15 per litre relief and giving the impression that the burden is being put on refineries, while not investigating their profits, would be tantamount to giving an NRO.

They also demanded that representatives of Pakistan Petroleum Dealers must be included in every committee making decisions related to the petroleum sector, as petroleum dealers are among the most important stakeholders in this sector.