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KARACHI: Amid easing prices from unprecedented levels, industry stakeholders still complain that diesel smuggling from Iran continues unabated, while the government has yet to take serious action to curb the influx of smuggled products despite repeated reminders.
Local diesel sales in May plunged to 15,000 tonnes per day from 20,000-22,000 tonnes per day, indicating that the country consumed 5,000-6,000 tonnes of smuggled Iranian diesel, causing a loss of sales to the local industry.
Sales of diesel in May stood at 455,000 tonnes, down 32pc year-on-year and 17pc month-on-month, while 11MFY26 sales inched up by 1pc to 6.354m tonnes.
Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) Secretary General Dr Syed Nazir Abbas Zaidi told Dawn that he does not have the full month’s sales figure for June, but the volume of illegal high-speed diesel arrivals from Iran might have ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 tonnes per day. Diesel prices in Pakistan had been trending lower, and there might have been a drop in the prices of smuggled HSD as well, following declines in global oil and finished-product prices.
