Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday said that Pakistan is “not pursuing or receiving” Russian oil at a discounted price.
In an interview with PBS Newshour, Bilawal Bhutto said that Pakistan “is not pursuing or receiving” any discounted energy from Russia but exploring various options. “Pakistan’s infrastructure is not made for Russian oil, though the country could engage with the country on cheap energy in the future,” he added.
However, last week, State Minister for Petroleum Musadik Malik announced that Russia had decided to provide crude oil, petrol, and diesel to Pakistan at discounted rates.
Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik, again today (Friday), reiterated that Russian officials had “clearly” told Pakistan they would provide discounted crude oil at the same rates as other countries or even lower.
“We are taking talks [with Russia on crude oil] forward,” he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.
He said Russia had eight different types of crude oil of which two could be used by refineries in Pakistan. “Before leaving for Russia, we met [officials of these] refineries. PRL (Pakistan Refinery Ltd) informed us that it can use up to 50 per cent light crude oil of Russian origin.
He further said that the incumbent government was discussing the purchase of oil and gas with Russia and hopefully, all details of the deals will be made public by January 20.
So, the question is who is telling the truth? How can a government function with such confusion within its ranks? Clearly, there’s no cohesive policy with PML-N led coalition government, they are running things on the fly. No wonder they messed up a smooth-run economy just within seven months and brought us to the cusp of default.
