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Petrol price to go down today, IMF has no objection, says Miftah Ismail

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  • Finance Minister Miftah Ismail says Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wants to give immediate relief to public.
  • Says prices of petroleum products will be lowered today instead of waiting till July 15.
  • Says that summary of reduction in petrol prices has been received and the Fund has no objection to it.

Finance Minister Muftah Ismail has said that petrol will be made cheaper today (Thursday) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has no objection to it.

The Pakistani authorities and the IMF finally reached a staff-level agreement over the release of $1.17 billion to support the country’s fragile economy, the international money lender revealed Thursday morning.

Talking to the media in Islamabad, Miftah said that the prices of petroleum products will be lowered today instead of waiting till July 15 as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif wants to give immediate relief to the people. He said that the finance ministry has received a summary from the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) recommending a cut in prices and the Fund has no objection to it.

Congratulating the nation on reaching an agreement with the IMF, Miftah said that the nation stood by PM Shehbaz Sharif in difficult decisions.

“Nations see difficult times and the Pakistani nation understands the situation during crises but now the time to give relief to the nation after difficult times has come,” the minister said.

What could be the new petrol prices?

In line with the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reduce the prices of petroleum products, the finance ministry has started deliberations after receiving the summary from Ogra.

According to details, the ministry has worked out the reduction in Mogas (petrol) price by Rs15 per litre and diesel by Rs33.99 per litre.

The new price of petrol has been proposed at Rs219.70 per litre after jacking up the petroleum levy (PL) byRs5 per litre to Rs15 per litre, from Rs10 per litre, and diesel Rs241.30 per litre after increasing the petroleum levy to Rs10 per litre from the existing Rs5 per litre.

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Pakistan’s gold prices are still declining; see the most recent

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The price of 10-gram gold reduced by Rs943 to settle at Rs207,733, while the price of gold dropped by Rs1200 to close at Rs242,300 a tola, according to the Sindh Sarafa Jewellers Association.

In the global market, the price of the precious metal fell by $10 to $2,349 per ounce, resulting in losses.

At 04:48 GMT, the spot price of gold had dropped by 0.2% to $2,354.77 per ounce. In the previous session, prices reached a two-week high.

American gold futures dropped 0.6% to $2,361.

Spot silver decreased by 0.4% to $28.03 per ounce, while palladium remained steady at $978.03 and platinum decreased by 0.1% to $992.89.

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Pakistan and the IMF begin talks for a new loan.

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Pakistan is requesting a $6 to $8 billion bailout package from the international lender over the next three to four years to address its financial troubles.

A mission team led by Nathan Porter, the IMF’s Mission Chief in Pakistan, is meeting with a Pakistani delegation led by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

According to sources familiar with the situation, Islamabad may face more difficult options, such as raising power and gas bills.

Mr. Aurganzeb informed the IMF team that the country’s economy has improved as a result of the IMF loan package, and Islamabad is ready to sign a new loan programme to further develop.

The IMF mission expressed satisfaction with Islamabad’s efforts to revive the country’s struggling economy.

The IMF praised Pakistan’s economic growth in its staff report earlier this week, but warned that the outlook remains challenging, with very high downside risks.

The country nearly avoided collapse last summer, and its $350 billion economy has stabilized since the end of the last IMF program, with inflation falling to roughly 17% in April from a record high of 38% last May.

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Petrol prices are likely to drop significantly beginning May 16.

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According to sources, the government is set to decrease petrol prices by Rs 14 per litre and diesel prices by Rs 10 on May 16 for the next fortnight’s revision.

Last month, the government reduced the price of fuel and high-speed diesel by Rs5.45 and Rs8.42 per fortnight, respectively.

The current fuel price is Rs288.49 per litre, while the HSD price is Rs281.96.

Meanwhile, oil prices fell further on Monday, as signs of sluggish fuel consumption and comments from U.S. Federal Reserve officials dimmed optimism for interest rate reduction, which may slow growth and reduce fuel demand in the world’s largest economy.

Brent crude prices down 25 cents, or 0.3%, to $82.54 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 19 cents, or 0.2%, to $78.07 per barrel.

Oil prices also declined on signals of poor demand, according to ANZ analysts, as gasoline and distillate inventories in the United States increased in the week before the start of the driving season.

Refiners throughout the world are dealing with falling diesel profitability as new refineries increase supply and warm weather in the northern hemisphere and weak economic activity reduce demand.

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