Poor quality of oil ‘contributing’ to rising cancer cases in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Chairman of the Standing Committee on Petroleum, Ghulam Mustafa Mehmood, has raised serious concerns over the poor quality of oil produced by local refineries, accusing them of contributing to rising cancer and asthma cases in Pakistan, ARY News reported on Thursday.

During a committee meeting, Mehmood announced that five refineries must sign agreements adhering to international standards by October 22, emphasizing that the low-grade oil being refined is hazardous to public health.

The discussion also concerned upon top officials from the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) and Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), who were reportedly in London for meetings related to the Reko Diq Project.

Secretary Petroleum, Momin Agha, clarified that the Petroleum Minister, Musadik Malik, was attending Russia Energy Week, and the London visit involved crucial discussions.

Further, the committee was informed by DG Oil that local refineries currently meet Euro 2 standards, while MD PSO advocated for maintaining a 3 percent guarantee return for the refineries.

Despite financial incentives, the chairman expressed disappointment, underscoring the urgent need for refineries to improve the quality of their products.