Business

Petrol price may reduce by Rs10-15 per litre on rupee strength

Published

2 years ago

Farwa

The price of diesel may be slashed by Rs2 per litre.
OGRA to meet for price revision for next fortnight.
IMF reservations could cause hurdles in price cut.

KARACHI: The improvement in the exchange rate, mostly in the favour of local currency, is likely to bring the prices of petroleum products down in the next fortnightly review by the oil sector regulator.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) will meet soon to revise the petroleum prices for the next fortnight starting October 16, 2022.

If the government decides to pass on this rupee-dollar parity impact to the end consumers, the price of petrol may be slashed by an estimated Rs10-15 per litre and that of diesel by Rs2 per litre, according to industry sources.

The rupee fell for the second straight session on Thursday as dollar demand from importers outpaced greenback sales by exporters, who chose to sit on the sidelines in anticipation of range-bound trading in the local currency going forward, dealers said.

However, the sources added that this facilitation could be delayed owing to International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) reservations over the petroleum subsidy as Pakistan had agreed with the lender of the last resort to gradually add Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) to the prices of fuels.

The addition of PDL will offset the exchange rate impact.

According to the working of the oil industry, all petroleum prices are showing a declining trend worldwide; however, it is not clear if the government would pass on the impact or offset it by raising taxation.

Oil prices traded about 2% higher on Thursday, reversing course, as low levels of diesel inventory ahead of winter helped investors shrug off higher-than-expected stocks of crude and gasoline.

Analysts say Finance Minister Ishaq Dar seems to be following a populist policy and may avoid burdening the masses further at least for now, doing good on the word that he gave before assuming the office of finance minister.

There’s a chance that the finance minister might pass the impact of a global downtrend and a stronger rupee if world markets continued to retreat.

Business

Donald Lu visits Finance Minister Aurangzeb at the World Bank headquarters.

Published

23 hours ago

Farwa

Wednesday saw Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb meet US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Elizabeth Horst.

The finance minister briefed US officials on Pakistan’s reform plan at the World Bank. Meeting both delegations decided to improve bilateral ties.

Meeting topics included alternative energy, agriculture, climate, and tech industry. Boosting the Pakistan-US economic partnership was another finance ministry priority.

With US officials, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb addressed IT, agriculture, and other business potential.

Pakistan would collaborate with the US International Development Finance Corporation and Exim Bank, according to Muhammad Aurangzeb.

His name is Donald Lu.
Over 30 years of US government service for Lu as a foreign service officer.

What Pakistan calls the “cipher” dispute involves the American official. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder claimed that a supposed official letter between Washington and Islamabad proved his ousting as PM was a US conspiracy.

Washington has strongly refuted Khan’s allegations.

The State Department’s top South and Central Asia diplomat is Donald Lu, assistant secretary of state.

Business

Huge investment potential exists in the telecom and IT sectors. Shaza Fatima

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

According to Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication, there are numerous investment prospects in Pakistan’s IT and telecom sectors.

She noted that the current administration is dedicated to fostering foreign investment in the nation, in line with the Prime Minister’s goal.

According to a news release, CEOs Wateen Adil Rashid and Muhammad Shahbaz Khan of Taavun (Pvt) Limited, who paid her a visit on Tuesday, spoke with Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja.

She declared that the private sector would receive complete support because it is essential to growing our exports.

Regarding youngsters, she stated that they are our greatest asset and that efforts are being made to further their growth.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates was thanked by Shaza Fatima for his particular interest in promoting additional investment in Pakistan’s telecom industry.

Business

WB pledges complete support for changes aimed at stabilizing Pakistan’s economy.

Published

2 days ago

Farwa

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Muhammad Aurangzeb, met with President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, according to a press release from the ministry of finance here. During the meeting, the minister discussed Pakistan’s progress under the nine-month Standby Arrangement (SBA) program as well as ongoing reforms in priority areas of taxation, energy, and privatization.

According to the statement, the minister also extended an invitation to the president to visit Pakistan, and both parties acknowledged the necessity of a rolling 10-year country framework plan.

The minister also talked on safeguarding Pakistan’s eligibility for concessional funding and future project pipeline during a meeting with Masatsugu Asakawa, President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The chief executive officer of the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Scott Nathan, also met with the minister of finance.

They discussed during the conference how DFC may increase its investments in Pakistan after resolving unresolved conflicts in a cooperative manner.

According to the minister, the government is supporting creative financing strategies to maximize PPP potential and private sector participation.

According to the statement, he gave his word that the government will do everything in its power to assist investment projects by both foreign and local businesses in Pakistan.