Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik said on Friday that Russian officials had “clearly” told Pakistan that they would provide discounted crude oil at the same rates as other countries or even lower.
“We are taking talks [with Russia on crude oil] forward,” he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.
He said Russia had eight different types of crude oil of which two could be used by refineries in Pakistan. “Before leaving for Russia, we met [officials of these] refineries. PRL (Pakistan Refinery Ltd) informed us that it can use up to 50 per cent light crude oil of Russian origin.
“Parco (Pak-Arab Refinery Limited) said it can use up to 30pc. And Cnergyico said not only can it use the two light crude oils but also the other six crude oils.”