Oil licences' waiver extended
Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Atif Ikram Sheikh has welcomed a two-month extension in the waiver for dangerous petroleum licences for the clearance of import consignments of chemical and petrochemical industrial raw materials that fall under the petroleum classifications of A, B and C.
The waiver, as per a letter of the Department of Explosives dated September 10, 2025, will be valid till October 23, 2025, so the FPCCI, on behalf of the entire business, industry and trade community of Pakistan, has appreciated the much-needed intervention, according to a press release.
Atif Ikram praised relevant people for the resolution of the issue as pending consignments could be cleared without any further hassle or delay. He, however, stressed that DG explosives should engage the FPCCI for a long-term and sustainable resolution of the issue.
FPCCI SVP Saquib Fayyaz Magoon explained that there were thousands of industrial chemicals in the world, which were used as industrial raw materials and not all chemicals were required to be handled like inflammable petroleum products.
He maintained that the explosives department should regulate only those chemicals that came under the definition of petroleum as the rest of the chemicals were already being regulated by other relevant departments.
Magoon highlighted that due to the unnecessary conditions in licensing, storage and transportation of petrochemicals, there was growing concern of shortage of chemicals used as industrial raw materials. These issues could result in a very negative and debilitating effect on industrial production and exports of the country, he added.
For further action, FPCCI VP Asif Sakhi proposed that all important chemicals, which were used as industrial raw materials, should be correctly, fairly and logically classified for a permanent resolution of the longstanding and recurrent issue.
DG Explosives Abdul Ali Khan had earlier assured the FPCCI that he would facilitate industrial importers through whatever permissible mechanism and leverage was available at the department's disposal. He added that his department was only concerned with chemicals containing hydrocarbons.
During his visit to the FPCCI, the DG explosives had stated that chemical traders should collectively raise their voice under the umbrella of the apex body and he would ensure that his central and regional offices accommodate their genuine concerns.