Citizens all over Pakistan absorbed an extra financial hit exceeding Rs. 1.4 billion across a five-day span because liquefied petroleum gas remains priced far above government rates.
Markets currently offer the fuel between Rs. 600 and Rs. 625 per kilogram, whereas the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority set the official notification at Rs. 280 per kilogram, creating a wide margin that worries buyers and industry figures.
Irfan Khokhar, chairman of the LPG Distributors Association, pointed to widespread rule-breaking as the reason customers carry these extra expenses, noting that the disparity between controlled rates and street prices created heavy consumer losses quickly.
On the other side, importers connected the higher rates to supply chain challenges, citing the shutdown of the Taftan border and increased shipping expenses as factors pressuring costs upward.
Even with this major gap between authorized and market costs, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority has not yet started enforcement measures against marketing firms or LPG plants, leaving worries about the widening difference unaddressed.
Meanwhile, shopkeepers report difficulty doing business under these circumstances, explaining that wholesale costs prevent them from selling at official limits and warning that frequent fines could force store closures.
This ongoing issue forces households to spend much more on a vital fuel, heightening demands for officials to resolve both the supply disruptions and the reported market overcharging.
