ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed Pakistan’s Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to digitally monitor fuel supplies through modern technology, his office said, as the ongoing United States (US) and Iran war disrupts oil markets worldwide.
OGRA first introduced a digital tracking platform to trace fuel supplies in March, training more than 200 industry representatives in collaboration with the Punjab Information Technology Board. The training initiative was held as global oil prices surged due to the conflict between the US and Iran.
Pakistan raised fuel prices multiple times this month as fighting between the two countries resumed in July, driving oil prices higher and disrupting the global supply chain.
Sharif chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad to review reforms and institutional capacity building of OGRA, his office said in a statement.
“He directed that a strict monitoring system for fuel movement across the country be developed by using the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) modern tracking system as a model,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.
“He further instructed that modern technology and software should be used to digitally monitor the supply chain from ports and refineries to petrol pumps.”
Sharif said experts from the private sector should be appointed to enhance OGRA’s capacity, adding that appointments for each sector and position should be made on merit through a transparent process as part of a broader reorganization of the authority.
“The government will provide all kinds of professional expertise for OGRA’s reforms and reorganization. The government will protect every penny of the public; no one will be allowed to exploit the public or interfere in the system,” he said.
The meeting was briefed by OGRA’s chairman on the authority’s current performance, the challenges it faces and its reform program. Officials said during the meeting that OGRA has made significant progress monitoring the oil supply chain from ports to petrol pumps through a digital system.
The prime minister was informed that a data-based special campaign in July 2026 identified multiple instances of hoarding, unnecessary supply disruptions and other violations, which led to show-cause notices and legal action.
Sharif directed that the modern digital systems be fully operationalized as soon as possible to ensure complete transparency, effective monitoring and the elimination of hoarding and illegal profiteering in the oil and gas sector.
“Ensuring uninterrupted supply of fuel to the public and fair pricing is the government’s top priority, and no negligence or corruption will be tolerated for this purpose,” he said.
