By SKM
July 18, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Welcoming the government’s decision to transition to daily petroleum price notifications, Attock Refinery Limited (ARL) Chief Executive Officer Adil Khattak has said the move represents an important step towards a more market-oriented petroleum pricing regime but cautioned that its success will depend on broader regulatory reforms.
Mr Khattak who is also chairperson of the Energy Committee of the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry (OICCI) in his statement said the shift to daily pricing reflects the government’s intent to improve market responsiveness and gradually advance deregulation. However, he stressed that increasing the frequency of price notifications alone would not achieve meaningful market liberalization.
“The success of this important reform will depend not merely on the frequency of price notifications but on the strength and credibility of the overall regulatory framework,” he said.
Khattak urged the government to share the revised pricing mechanism, implementation roadmap, and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the new system with all stakeholders. Such measures, he said, would help ensure fairness, transparency, and a level playing field for all market participants, including the private sector.
He noted that petroleum prices, inventories, and imports continue to be regulated, either directly or indirectly, despite the proposed shift to daily pricing.
According to Khattak, moving from fortnightly to weekly, and now daily, price notifications without addressing these underlying structural issues could increase price volatility, complicate inventory and cash-flow management, and create an uneven competitive environment.
He warned that such unintended consequences could undermine, rather than advance, the government’s objective of meaningful deregulation.
“True deregulation is not simply a matter of announcing prices more frequently; it requires allowing market forces to operate within a transparent, predictable and equitable policy framework,” he said, adding that daily pricing should be viewed as one milestone in a broader reform agenda rather than an end in itself.
Khattak also acknowledged the consultative approach adopted by the Petroleum Minister, expressing hope that continued engagement with industry stakeholders would help ensure the reform’s success.
“If this collaborative approach continues, the initiative has the potential to become a landmark reform that strengthens competition, improves market efficiency, and benefits both consumers and the petroleum industry,” he said. Ends
