ISLAMABAD: The oil crisis 2020 have many dimensions. An oil marketing companies mafia swellowed hundreds of billion of the public by not passing on the benefit of cheaper oil to it . A powerful official mafia of Petroleum Division and its associated departments like Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) , Director General Oil and Director General Gas got party to collude with OMCs’ mafia to help make it billions of rupree by not passing on the benefit of cheaper oil to the consumers. The last year oil shortage crisis basically was a practical display of the government official -OMCs joint venture to cheat the public at large by depriving it from rightful benefit of buying cheaper fuel when the prices of crude oil had crashed in the international market.
The OMCs mafia always plays dirty tricks like creating artificial shortage of the petroleum products and make windfall rather unlawful profit on the stocks. Since, its a highly technical fraud so the government officials and OMCs collusion always goes un-noticed. The OMCs indulgence in unlawful activities like artificial shortage or import of low quality fuel is always protected by the concerned officials of the Petroleum Division and associated departments to get share in money -making spree.
Basically, the lust for money of the government officials provides OMCs full opportunity to go to any length to carry on unlawful activities. The question arises who is at the losing end in dirty joint venture of the officials and OMCs?. Obviously, the end consumers (buyers) are at the losing end. Since there was no precedent that any one in the government will dare to expose their collusion, the mafia of OMCs and officials had gone unbridled in Pakistan. In June 2020, the same mafia of OMC and the officials went too far to stop supply of oil products to the market. It created unparalelled artificial shortage of oil in the entire country. Interestingly, there was no one in Petroleum Division, OGRA and associated departments, particularly, DG Oil office to respond to public hue and cry. The people of this country were cursing the government and finally prime minister , Imran Khan, came into action. He constituted a high level inquiry committee that established that the OMCs connived with the officials of the Petroleum Division and OGRA to create an artificial shortage of oil in the country. Although, a few officials have been arrested for having role in last year oil crisis, but main accused , then secretary Petroleum, Asad Hayuddin , remained fully protected in the inquiry. His top level contacts in Prime Minister Office not only protected him from the inquiry, but also got him transferred and posted as secretary Economic Affairs Division. Can one believe that DG Oil can indulge in any unlawful activity or corruption without the blessing of secretary Petroleum?. Second, what stopped FIA to identify the role of then Petroleum secretary in the last year oil crisis. The question also arises who is guard father of Asad Hayuddin in Prime Minister Office?. Another question that boggles one’s mind is, Is prime minister, Imran Khan, not aware of God father of corrupt mafia in his office?