• 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.

Meghan Markle had announced earlier this month that Netflix is no longer part of As Ever just 11 months into the launch.

There are many speculations about what is next for the Duchess of Sussex in Hollywood as the streaming giant deal was arguably the most lucrative offer that they after they had left the royal family in 2020.

Although, a Suits costar and a close friend of Meghan hinted that Prince Harry’s is ready to return to her acting roots in Hollywood.

Actor Eric Roberts, who played the shady billionaire Charles Forstman in the legal drama, told Daily Mail that Meghan “will come back”.

Meanwhile, Eric’s casting director wife, Eliza noted that “it is time” that Meghan “needs to come back to work”

She added, “I feel like her whole family will support it, and she is amazing.”

“I think she should come back. I think she will come back,” Eric insisted. “And I think she’s going to be fantastic and blow everybody’s mind.”

As for Meghan’s role in Suits, Eliza said that it was “tricky” because of the royal family as her role was “very sexy”.

However, she noted that the Netflix deal downgrade is not a setback for Meghan as she is a “star and that she is still a “young woman who needs to be acting”.

“From the second you see her, she just has star quality. It doesn’t matter. It was always going to happen,” the casting director said.

“She worked so hard to get there. That was just too much,” she continued. “Women don’t give up their jobs for a marriage anymore. I understand the intention, and she thought she’d be satisfied with doing good works in the world. But she needs to be acting.”

Paris Jackson is in a serious fight with her father Michael Jackson’s estate over his upcoming biopic, Michael.

The situation became tense now, with both sides arguing over money, decisions and how the film is being handled.

The estate reacted strongly to Paris and her lawyers, saying that she got “complete lack of understanding about how the motion picture industry works.”

This came after she raised some concerns about the film’s rising costs and the need for reshoots.

A big issue is a legal agreement from 1994 linked to Jordan Chandler and because of that deal, parts of the movie needed to be changed, which led to expensive reshoots and delays.

The film’s release has now been pushed back again.

Paris also questioned estate executor John Branca, sharing that his decisions caused financial problems.

The estate denied this and said it has handled everything carefully for years as it also claimed Paris already received around 65 million dollars, but her team says that number is not true.

The estate still believes the film will be successful.

Meanwhile, the legal fight continues, and a judge is expected to make a decision soon as both sides wait for what happens next.