Karachi, March 14, 2026 – The Pakistan Chemicals & Dyes Merchants Association (PCDMA) has raised alarm over the recent Rs55 per litre increase in petroleum prices, warning that it is severely impacting businesses and slowing commercial activity across Pakistan.
PCDMA Chairman Salim Valimuhammad called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervez Malik, and Commerce Minister Jam Kamal to take immediate steps to ease the financial burden on traders, importers, and exporters. He emphasized that the sudden surge in petrol and diesel prices is making it increasingly difficult for businesses to maintain production and operations.
Valimuhammad noted that if the government truly wants to promote industrial growth, it must prioritize lowering energy costs instead of adding more pressure on the business community. He expressed concern that the recently announced Rs4 per unit electricity tariff reduction could be temporary, as upcoming fuel adjustment charges might reverse any relief.
He warned that continued increases in electricity and fuel prices would directly impact both imports and exports, reducing the competitiveness of Pakistani products in global markets. With electricity already expensive and raw material costs rising, the record petroleum price hike poses a significant threat to industries.
The PCDMA chairman stressed that the government must urgently realign economic priorities, ensure energy price stability, and provide tangible support to the trading and industrial sectors. Without such measures, he said, claims of economic recovery would remain “nothing more than rhetoric.”