A Pakistan-bound liquefied natural gas cargo ship was attacked before it reached the Strait of Hormuz.
Qatar and Saudi Arabia condemned the strike on the tanker, describing it as a "dangerous act". The Qatari foreign ministry stated it has started investigations to identify those responsible for the incident and determine the circumstances of the attack. Pakistan had previously negotiated with Iran to ensure safe passage for the LNG carrier Al Mayeda.
Ali Pervaiz Malik formally announced that oil refineries would bear a burden of approximately Rs15 per litre, or Rs15 billion for one month. The impact of shifting the Rs15 per litre burden from consumers to refineries was already included in Friday's price determination.
The government continues to charge a Rs80 per litre levy out of the Rs378 petrol price, according to Ali Pervaiz Malik. The federal cabinet approved on Friday that the import price of petrol may be set based on the actual import cost of the relevant PSO cargo.
Ali Pervaiz Malik confirmed that the government has made arrangements to meet the requirements for November. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the fuel subsidy scheme for car owners and motorcyclists would continue. Tarar noted that Rs27 billion have been disbursed under the fuel subsidy scheme so far.
A total of 15 million beneficiaries have registered for the subsidy scheme, Tarar said. Attaullah Tarar also confirmed the ad-hoc appointment of Establishment Secretary Nabeel Awan as acting Chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).
