Entertainment
Ex-finance minister calls for measured ethanol policy to cut fuel costs
- Miftah warns against making “hasty decisions without proper assessment”.
- Says sugar mills could enter sector quickly if ethanol proves viable.
- Expresses doubts about immediate rollout due to infrastructure issues.
ISLAMABAD: Former finance minister and Awaam Pakistan Party (APP) leader Miftah Ismail has urged a careful, thoroughly researched approach to Pakistan’s ethanol blending policy to reduce oil prices.
“It’s always good to take a look and evaluate things, but one should be careful in changing policy,” he said while speaking to The News.
Miftah cautioned against making “hasty” decisions without proper assessment, adding that exploring the feasibility of ethanol blending is reasonable, but any policy adjustments should be considered carefully.
He noted that if ethanol production proves commercially viable, sugar mills would naturally move into the sector. “They will get one more market and hope the price of ethanol will increase,” he added.
Discussing the possible impact on oil marketing companies, Miftah said outcomes would depend largely on government policy. If firms are mandated to blend a fixed percentage, such as 10% ethanol, and given a set price, many could procure ethanol at lower rates and retain the margin as profit.
The former finance minister suggested that the Ministry of Petroleum, in collaboration with Pakistan State Oil and representatives of the sugar industry, could quickly conduct a basic assessment. “This can be studied within a couple of days, after which options can be worked out,” he said.
However, he expressed reservations about immediate implementation, citing practical challenges such as blending mechanisms, required infrastructure, and timelines. “I don’t think it will be feasible and implementable right away,” he remarked.
Miftah linked the economic viability of ethanol blending to global oil prices, saying it becomes attractive when Brent crude oil trades above $100 per barrel.
“At normal oil prices of $60 to $80, ethanol is generally not economically viable,” he explained.
Drawing comparisons, he pointed out that Brazil has a vast sugarcane and ethanol industry where sugar is often a byproduct, while the United States supports ethanol production through large-scale corn farming and policy mandates.
While acknowledging that current petrol prices in Pakistan could make ethanol blending appear financially feasible, he cautioned that operational and logistical constraints may limit its practicality in the short term.
Migratory freshwater fish populations crucial to river health and sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people are in freefall and risk collapse, a major UN assessment warned on Tuesday.
Habitat destruction, overfishing and water pollution from the Amazon to the Danube threaten the very survival of hundreds of species whose epic voyages along the world´s great rivers go largely unnoticed.
Freshwater fish face multiple threats, said the report published at the opening of the COP15 summit on migratory species in Brazil, making them “among the most imperilled vertebrates”.
Populations of Mekong giant catfish, European eel and various sturgeon species are among those that have been decimated in recent decades due to man-made pressures that include the construction of dams and harvest for caviar.
Some — including the Chinese paddlefish — have already been declared extinct, while others are functionally reliant on captive breeding stock and reintroductions to support wild populations.
According to conservation group WWF, migratory freshwater fish numbers have plunged some 81% since 1970.
These fish — a vital protein source for people and animals around the globe — require unimpeded passage to move between spawning and feeding grounds, which can span across borders.
This means international cooperation is needed to arrest their decline.
The report, by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), identifies nearly 350 migratory fish species that could benefit from greater protection under the international framework.
Species including salmon, eels, and lampreys are among those to be considered during the March 23-29 meeting in Campo Verde.
Of these, the vast majority are found in Asia, followed by South America and Europe.
The river basins deemed priorities are the Amazon and La Plata-Parana in South America, the Danube in Europe, the Mekong and the Ganges-Brahmaputra in Asia and the Nile in Africa.
“This assessment shows that migratory freshwater fish are in serious trouble, and that protecting them will require countries to work together to keep rivers connected, productive, and full of life,” said Zeb Hogan, the lead author of the assessment, in a statement.
Kensington Palace shared Prince William’s message after Meghan Markle invited the future King’s wrath.
On March 24, the Prince of Wales’ team issued an update on their official Instagram page related to the future King’s key engagement.
“Today, presenting honours for outstanding service at Windsor Castle,” the message reads.
It is pertinent to note that this new update from Prince William’s office came after the Duchess of Sussex’s true feelings on royal titles threat were unveiled.
William, who is seeking to completely sever ties with the controversial members of his family, must have found Meghan’s reaction daring.
Closer reported that the Duchess is sure that King Charles is not stripping off the Sussexes’ titles any time soon, especially during the Andrew crisis.
Prince William “clashed” with his father over the treatment given to Harry and Meghan despite the fact that they have “inflicted so much grief and stress on the family…”
However, Meghan knows that once the Prince of Wales ascends the throne, the situation will probably change, which will not be in favour of the Sussexes.
An insider warned the Duchess about her daring moves, claiming, “If she keeps taunting them and testing their limits this way, she could very well force Charles’ hand and the axe will fall a lot sooner than she’s expecting.”
Prince Harry, along with six other claimants, received some upsetting update on the phone hacking cases against the Daily Mail publisher as a verdict is soon to be announced.
King Charles’s younger son had claimed that the British tabloid had used illicit and illegal methods of acquiring information for their articles. The Duke of Sussex had stressed that none of the people in his close circle would reveal intimate details.
Meanwhile, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, and Sir Simon Hughes have also presented their evidence and witness statements in the course of the 10-week trial.
Senior current and former journalists and staff at Associated have also given evidence.
However, a key witness in the case, which could be considered as a decider of the verdict, backtracked his claims, suggesting that the claimants have been “conned” in statement on Monday.
Private investigator Gavin Burrows, appeared in court via video where he said that his signatures had been forged on that statement that said he “targeted hundreds, possibly thousands of people”.
Burrows told the court that the statement had “nothing to do with me”.
“You have got to explain to your claimants how you have been conned,” he said during an exchange with Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne.
“This thing is based on a pack of lies.”
Harry’s attorney argued that Burrows is only changing his statement because the private investigator had falling out with journalist Graham Johnson.
But Burrows remained adamant that the “whole thing is a thing of fiction”.
He told the court he had never worked for or been paid by Associated.
The verdict is expected to be announced later this month after the closing statements are delivered.
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