Author: Admin

PBF expresses concern over the recurrence of electricity load management

Admin

KARACHI: Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has expressed serious concern over the recurrence of electricity load management despite the country having an installed generation capacity of 49,651MW, saying the latest disruption caused by the shortage of RLNG exposes fundamental weaknesses in power-sector planning, fuel security and capacity utilisation. Chief Organiser of PBF, Ahmad Jawad, said business community questioned how consumers can continue to face prolonged power outages while simultaneously paying fixed charges and capacity-related costs associated with the country’s power-generation infrastructure. The Power Division has attributed the latest nighttime load management…

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Civil Society Demands Nationwide Fire Safety Culture, Strict Accountability After Recurring Urban Fire Tragedies

Admin

KARACHI: The government, private sector and civil society must join hands to establish a comprehensive fire safety culture across Pakistan, particularly in Karachi, where recurring fire incidents continue to claim lives and cause substantial material losses due to inadequate preparedness, weak enforcement and lack of emergency training. This was emphasised by office-bearers of the Fire Protection Industry of Pakistan (FPIP), National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) and Justice Helpline at a joint press conference on corrective fire safety measures in urban areas. They called for an immediate overhaul of…

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Petroleum Prices are a Major Barrier to Export CompetitivenessAtif Ikram Sheikh, President FPCCI

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Atif-Ikram

Karachi: Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), has strongly urged the federal government to adopt a realistic approach in rationalizing petroleum prices, with a specific focus on high-speed diesel (HSD), to significantly reduce the exorbitant cost of doing business in Pakistan. Atif Ikram Sheikh highlighted that the current pricing mechanism for fuel is disproportionately inflating logistics, transportation, and agricultural supply chain costs across the country. Diesel is the lifeblood of our transport, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors – and, the compounding inflationary…

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Trump Says Venezuelan Oil to Replenish US Strategic Petroleum Reserve

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Donald-Trump

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said oil from a recently announced deal with Venezuela will be used to replenish the country’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), which has fallen sharply in recent years amid efforts to cushion the impact of global supply disruptions and high fuel prices. In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said the process of “topping out” the reserve would begin shortly, describing the Venezuelan crude as a “Gift from Venezuela to the People of the United States.” However, it remains unclear how quickly Venezuelan oil…

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Hormuz Disruption Adds $1.3bn to Pakistan’s Fuel Import Bill in Five Months

Admin
New-Project94

ISLAMABAD: The conflict involving Iran and disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz have significantly increased energy import costs across South Asia, adding pressure on Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, inflation and external account. Pakistan’s petroleum import bill rose sharply in the months following the escalation of the Iran conflict, increasing from around $983 million in March 2026 to $1.28 billion in July, while peaking at nearly $1.91 billion in June, according to official trade data. Cumulatively, Pakistan’s petroleum-group imports during March-July 2026 stood at approximately $7.7-$7.9 billion, compared with…

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