Pakistan petrol crisis: Inquiry commission termed "controversial".

ISLAMABAD -- The Petroleum Division is unhappy with inquiry commission investigating Pakistan's petrol crisis. They have called the commission "controversial".

In a response to last week's report by the inquiry commission, the petroleum division expressed its dissatisfaction over the commission's members.

The inquiry commission's report on the petrol crisis

The five-member Inquiry Commission, headed by FIA Additional Director-General Abubakar Khudabaksh, has recommended strict action against the Petroleum Division secretary, Oil DG, Ogra and private oil marketing companies (OMCs).

The commission's report also asked for dissolution of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) for six months through an act of Parliament, arguing it is not aligned with ground realities.

The Pakistan government constituted this commission on July 28, 2020 to probe the shortage of petroleum products.

The 155-page report submitted to the federal cabinet mentions the catalogue of failures of Ogra since 2002 that includes dishing out licenses to OMCs without ensuring actual enhancement of storage facilities, failure to ensure minimum stock requirements, imposition of ritual fines on OMCs for drying out their retail outlets during June 2020, issuance of unlawful provisional marketing licenses to OMCs and more

It recommends strict penal or departmental action against those involved in illegalities. especially in issuance of unlawful provisional marketing licenses/marketing permissions.

Petroleum Division's response

But the petroleum division says the...