# Oil firms say Rs 66.7bn is stuck: petrol stocks down to 18 days Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/economy/oil-firms-say-rs-667bn-is-stuck-petrol-stocks-down-to-18-days) Type: News article Author: Searchable Editorial Published: 19 Sept 2026 Updated: 19 Sept 2026 Retrieved: 19 Sept 2026 > The Oil Companies Advisory Council wrote to the petroleum minister and OGRA on 18 September warning that unpaid price differential claims are squeezing imports. Petrol cover is 18 days, diesel 27. Pakistan's oil marketing companies say the government is sitting on **Rs 66.7 billion** of their money, and that the country's fuel stocks are thinning while they wait to be paid. The Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), the body that represents the OMCs, set out the figure in an emergency letter to the Federal Minister for Petroleum and the chairman of OGRA on 18 September, and called senior officials to a meeting in Karachi. ## The numbers - **Rs 66.7 billion** outstanding, made up of price differential claims and margins owed to the companies. - **18 days** of petrol cover in the system, and **27 days** of high-speed diesel. - The pending amount is worth roughly **five petrol cargoes**, so it is the difference between booking the next imports and not booking them. OCAC Secretary General Nazir Abbas Zaidi said the government had committed to clearing the arrears within 15 days, and that six months have now passed without payment. ## Why a payment delay turns into a supply problem An OMC buys a cargo months before it reaches a pump in Lahore or Multan. It pays in dollars up front, then recovers the money over weeks of retail sales at a price OGRA fixes. When the state holds back price differential claims, the company's working capital is trapped and the next cargo has to be financed out of bank borrowing at a mark-up set off the [KIBOR rate](/data/kibor-1y), currently 12.33 percent for one year. Do that for six months and the cheapest option becomes ordering less. That is how a payments dispute in Islamabad turns into a dry nozzle in Sargodha. The council also flagged risk to regional supply routes and said that if the government does not provide support and disruptions follow, the industry should not be blamed for the shortages. ## What it means for you Nothing has changed at the pump today. Petrol is **Rs 389.14** a litre and high-speed diesel **Rs 424.04** from 19 September, and stations are selling normally, including under the [Rs 100 a litre relief scheme](/news/economy/rs-100-off-a-litre-petrol-relief-9771-who-qualifies-how-to-claim). Two things are worth watching over the next fortnight: 1. **Whether the government releases the money.** Rs 25 billion was found quickly for the relief scheme's first month when dealers threatened to shut pumps. The OMC arrears are nearly three times that. 2. **Whether individual stations start rationing.** The usual early signal is a pump limiting you to Rs 1,000 or Rs 2,000 a fill, or shutting one nozzle, before any formal announcement. If you ride or drive daily, there is no case for panic buying, which is what creates the shortage it fears. There is a case for not running the tank to fumes. Work out what a full tank costs you at today's rate with the [fuel cost calculator](/tools/cars/fuel-cost-calculator), and check the rate before you fill on the [petrol price](/data/petrol-price) and [diesel price](/data/diesel-price) pages. ## The wider squeeze This lands in the same week that OGRA cut prices for a second day running, that pump dealers won a 48-hour reimbursement mechanism through the State Bank for relief-scheme claims, and that the government is running a subsidy on every litre sold to a registered bike or 800cc car. The retail end of the chain has been paid attention. The import end is the one saying it cannot carry the cost much longer. ## Frequently asked questions **Is there a petrol shortage in Pakistan right now?** No. Pumps are selling normally as of 19 September 2026. The Oil Companies Advisory Council has warned that Rs 66.7 billion in unpaid dues is squeezing the money available to book new import cargoes, with petrol cover at 18 days and diesel at 27 days. **How much do oil marketing companies say the government owes them?** Rs 66.7 billion, made up of price differential claims and margins, according to an OCAC letter to the petroleum minister and OGRA dated 18 September 2026. ## Sources - Pakistan faces fuel shortage risk as OMCs await Rs66.7bn in dues (18 Sep 2026) (Daily Independent): https://www.dailyindependent.com.pk/2026/09/18/pakistan-faces-fuel-shortage-risk-as-omcs-await-rs66-7bn-in-dues/ - Oil Companies demand Rs66 Billion in Dues as Liquidity Pressure threatens Fuel Supply (18 Sep 2026) (Daily Pakistan): https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/18-Sep-2026/oil-companies-demand-rs66billion-in-dues-as-liquidity-pressure-threatens-fuel-supply - Pakistan may face petrol and diesel shortages, oil industry warns (18 Sep 2026) (ARY News): https://arynews.tv/pakistan-may-face-petrol-and-diesel-shortages-oil-industry-warns - Govt cuts petrol price by Rs1.65, diesel by Rs0.88 per litre (18 Sep 2026) (Business Recorder): https://www.brecorder.com/news/40440168/govt-cuts-petrol-price-by-rs165-diesel-by-rs088-per-litre How to cite: "Oil firms say Rs 66.7bn is stuck: petrol stocks down to 18 days", Searchable, 19 Sept 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/economy/oil-firms-say-rs-667bn-is-stuck-petrol-stocks-down-to-18-days