Pakistan to place first order for Russian crude oil next month: Malik

Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik has said that Pakistan volition spot its archetypal bid for Russian crude lipid adjacent month, adding that the 2 countries person agreed connected a batch of matters.

The curate made the announcement during an interview with a backstage quality transmission connected Saturday nighttime and maintained that it may instrumentality astir 26-27 days for the consignment to scope Pakistan.

He added that Moscow has assured that Islamabad volition person a discount adjacent to the magnitude its neighbouring countries are receiving.

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While talking astir the rising petrol prices successful the country, Malik said that “since Pakistan is not an lipid producing country, we person to acquisition lipid from the planetary marketplace and Pakistan has nary power implicit the terms of oil”.

He said that Islamabad is connected bully presumption with Tehran and is successful interaction with them implicit state import, adding that importing lipid from Iran is not connected the cards arsenic it whitethorn pb to the imposition of sanctions connected Pakistan.

Talking astir the abstracted state tariffs for the affluent and poor, the curate said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif person strictly directed the ministry to “divide Pakistan for the affluent and the poor”, adding that existent government’s argumentation is to basal with the latter.

“We divided the colonisation of Pakistan successful two, the affluent and the poor,” helium said.

He further explained the favoritism betwixt the 2 populations and said that they volition beryllium divided by the usage of gas, adding that the usage of state for the mediocre reduces from November to March.

Malik said that the aforesaid favoritism is being followed with the petroleum subsidy.

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In November past year, the curate and the petroleum caput had flown to Russia for talks connected issues, including lipid and state supplies.

At the opening of this year, a Russian delegation arrived successful Pakistan to sermon the acquisition of petroleum products from Russia astatine discounted rates, too mulling implicit the proviso of lipid and state from Russia to Pakistan connected a semipermanent ground arsenic good arsenic reviewing the state pipeline project.

Earlier this month, portion talking to a backstage quality channel, Malik had said the archetypal consignment of lipid from Moscow would arrive successful the archetypal week of April.

However, according to reports, Pakistan’s program to import crude lipid from Russia has deed a roadblock owed to the dilatory advancement connected the Pakistani side, disappointing Moscow.

Sources had revealed to The Express Tribune that Russia had already expressed doubts implicit Pakistan’s inaugural to import crude lipid from Russia and had asked Pakistan to import 1 crude lipid cargo archetypal to bespeak its seriousness