Kerosene oil scam leads to sacking GM PSO

Aftab Ahmed

Kerosene oil is a sweet business for dealers. So, it led to the sacking of General Manager Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

The new management of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had pointed out a scam of kerosene oil. It came to know during March when the Covid-19 outbreak took place in Pakistan.

So, Boar of directors had sacked General Manager Lubricant Qasim Zaheer.

The previous management had appointed several general managers on key posts at hefty packages. So, GM Lubricant Qasim Zaheer was one of them. Later, they faced inquiries over appointments.

However, new managing director Taha Siddiqui had pointed out that Qasim Zaheer had given 0.5 million metric tons of kerosene to one party. So, it led to the sacking General Manager.

Sources said the PSO board had banned supplying kerosene oil to dealer agencies since that time.

Dealers had no kerosene oil supply after sacking GM lubricant. Now, and they were lobbying now to get a supply of kerosene oil again.

Officials further said that PSO did not have enough stocks to give to dealers. It was only meeting strategic requirements and had no surplus fuel.

Why kerosene oil is a lucrative business

Officials said that there was a major difference between the prices of kerosene oil and high-speed diesel.

Therefore, the dealers mix the kerosene oil with diesel and make money. Moreover, officials further said that the government charged the petroleum levy on diesel. So, dealers are also making money on petroleum on kerosene oil when they are mixing it.

Dealers’ Demand

Kerosene Dealers Association has said that the management of Pakistan State Oil (PSO) is deliberately stopping the kerosene oil supply.

Due to the wrong policy of not marketing SKO, some 500 PSO distributors are out of business, and around 50000 people went jobless for the last six months.

Moreover, Kerosene Dealers Association has threatened now to stage a countrywide protest against PSO’s management.

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They sent threatening tweets to Prime Minister Office and  Federal Minister for Energy. The Association said it would go to the Courts as well.

Federal Minister for Energy, Omer Ayub Khan, took notice and called a meeting. He assured the visiting delegation to take up the matter with Managing Director PSO.