Investigation committee formed to ascertain reasons for petrol crisis

ISLAMABAD: Following the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan, a high-level investigation committee has been formed to ascertain reasons for the occurrence of petrol crisis in the country, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

PM’s special assistant on mineral resources, Shahzad Qasim, has been appointed as the chairman of the high-level investigation committee which also includes Director General of Directorate General Oil, chief executive officer (CEO) of Petroleum Institute of Pakistan and former senior general manager (GM) of Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

The committee will assess the reasons for the petrol crisis besides reviewing the hoarding of fuel stocks by oil companies and petrol pumps. It will also present a report to the federal government regarding the steps taken by the Petroleum Division for overcoming the fuel shortage.

Read: Those responsible for fuel crisis will not get scot-free: LHC

Moreover, the newly-formed committee will also analyse the impacts on import and supply of petrol after the implementation of reduced prices by the concerned authorities and imposition of restrictions on movement due to coronavirus pandemic. A comparison will be made for the overall supplies of petrol across the country with the previous year.

After completion of its investigation, Shahzad Qamar-led committee will name the responsible persons or institutions for the petrol crisis and present its report before the PM Imran Khan on July 10.

Earlier, PM Imran Khan had vowed to take punitive action against those responsible for the artificial shortage of fuel across the country. The federal government had also decided to initiate strict action against the oil companies found involved in hoarding.