For decades, a single, nagging question has defined the Pakistani refueling experience: Can this fuel be trusted? For the average motorist, pulling into a petrol station was never a simple transaction. It was a calculated risk, shadowed by concerns over short-measuring, adulteration, and the dreaded engine knocking that often followed. As Pakistan enters 2025, however, this era of skepticism is beginning to fade. Guided by the strategic direction of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and a renewed state commitment to structural reform, the downstream energy sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation. What is emerging is not merely a larger…
Author: Aqam-ud-din Khan
Calls for national-level alignment on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) gained momentum as policy makers, industry leaders, finance experts, development partners and academics convened to chart Pakistan’s next steps in plastics circularity. While some territories have made steady progress on developing EPR frameworks, participants stressed that a unified national system is essential to ensure scale, efficiency and predictable compliance for producers and recyclers. The two-day convening, “Turning the Tide: Extended Producer Responsibility and Plastics Circularity”, organized by the CoRe Alliance, brought together more than 80 representatives from federal and provincial governments, waste management companies, environment protection agencies, State Bank of Pakistan…