Pakistan has acknowledged its vulnerability to rising world oil costs, admitting it lacks strategic reserves akin to India as crude surges to $126 per barrel amid disruptions within the Strait of Hormuz and escalating Center East tensions.

In an interview with Samaa TV, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik mentioned the nation depends solely on industrial reserves, with crude shares ample for simply 5 to seven days, far under India’s capability to attract on considerably bigger reserves.

We don’t even have petroleum reserves for a single day.
We should not have strategic oil reserves.

(Ali Pervaiz Malik, Federal Minister for Petroleum) pic.twitter.com/IVpLXHaCCe

— برهان الدین ‏| Burhan uddin (@burhan_uddin_0) April 27, 2026

Malik highlighted that India maintains an estimated 60–70 days of mixed strategic and industrial reserves, alongside stronger monetary buffers that permit it to soak up world shocks and even alter taxes to stabilise costs.

“We have no strategic oil reserves. we solely have industrial reserves … We aren’t India which has 60-70 days of oil reserves that it could launch instantly,” he mentioned at interview. 

Oil Costs In Pakistan

Whereas gasoline costs in India have remained largely secure, the federal government of Pakistan on Thursday elevated petrol and diesel costs whereas extending focused gasoline subsidies for motorcyclists and the transport sector, aiming to defend weak customers from the impression of rising world oil costs.

With the approval of the Worldwide Financial Fund, the federal government led by Shehbaz Sharif raised petrol costs by PKR 6.51 per litre and diesel by PKR 19.39 per litre, efficient instantly for the week ending Might 8.

Throughout a digital evaluation assembly, the IMF was knowledgeable that Pakistan stays on monitor to satisfy its petroleum levy goal of PKR 1.468 trillion, with collections over the previous 10 months already surpassing the benchmark set for 11 months.

Minister Warns In opposition to Breaching IMF Commitments

Pakistan’s response has additionally been constrained by its commitments to the Worldwide Financial Fund, limiting coverage flexibility. Malik mentioned the federal government held backchannel talks with the IMF to cut back levies, together with shifting the burden from diesel to petrol whereas providing focused subsidies to ease the impression on customers.

Detailing the balancing act, Malik mentioned, “Now, with diesel costs rising as much as 3-4 occasions, we determined to cut back the levy to zero on diesel and shift all the burden to petrol whereas defending motorcyclists by giving them focused subsidy.” On the similar time, he warned in opposition to breaching IMF commitments, including that doing so may have led to even worse penalties.

He famous that these negotiations in the end helped safe a discount in levies, saying, “We performed backchannel negotiations with the IMF and satisfied them to cut back the levy by 80 rupees per litre.”