All Pakistan Lubricants Manufacturers Association Chairman (APLMA) Mian Zahid Husain has expressed concern that the prices of lubricant oil will go up by Rs 3 per litre if the prices of lube base oil is increased by Rs 2 per litre. He criticised Attock Oil Refinery for increasing the price of lube base oil twice within a month. The refinery, he added increased the prices five times during the last four months.
The APLMA Chairman demanded of the government to introduce a price control mechanism for lube base oil manufacturers. He further said that no one in the government was ready to take notice of the unjust increase in lube oil prices and the motor vehicle owners had been left at the mercy of refineries.
He said that in the last 12 months, the refineries had increased the prices of lube base oil by Rs 39 per litre. The lubricating oil manufacturers were continuously being overlooked by the refineries, as they move up prices without any discussion with the stakeholders, Mian Zahid added. He expressed fear that if the increasing trend continued unchecked, the lubricant manufacturers would be forced to close down their business.