In Pakistan, the national pastime used to be cricket. Now, it’s a high-stakes endurance sport called “Watching the Fuel Needle”. It’s a game played by millions, where the goal is to reach the petrol pump before the midnight price hike, only to find the “Out of Stock” sign. That sign is basically a petrol station’s way of telling you, ‘Congratulations, you now own a very heavy, stationary metal couch.’
The world is worried about oil prices hitting $126 per barrel. In most countries, people check their bank accounts. In Pakistan, the “living on the edge” lifestyle has reached a literal flashpoint, as people have reportedly begun checking the levels of their gas tanks. Forget stocks and cryptocurrency; the hottest commodity in town is a plastic canister of fuel, and the new “flashpoint” of the economy isn’t the banking sector—it’s the local petrol pump.
Checking the gas tank has indeed become the new checking the bank account, as people decide which is more valuable: their savings or their mobility.
The ‘Ultimate Flex’
Petrol in Pakistan is no longer just a combustible liquid; it’s a luxury fragrance. Walking into a party smelling faintly of Super Unleaded is the ‘ultimate flex’. It is the most impressive way to show off—it tells people you have “Old Money” or, at the very least, some fuel in the tank.
The cost of petrol and diesel has risen so fast that it has turned petrol stations into the new luxury-item showrooms—look, but don’t touch. Carpooling has evolved from an eco-friendly choice into a desperate survival act. Moreover, if you see four grown men riding together on a single 70cc motorcycle in Pakistan, don’t misjudge; they aren’t being reckless, they’re practising “fiscal responsibility”.
Political Candour
In a remarkable display of political candour, Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said in a TV interview recently that the country has only five to seven days’ worth of oil supplies and lacks any strategic reserves to fall back on.
The real irony was that just a few days earlier, Pakistani officials had reportedly described the fuel supply as “secure and stable”. Clearly, they were dwelling in la-la land, blissfully unaware of the actual situation. Or did they hide the fact that their country is literally running on fumes, which, too, have become as precious and scarce as honest Pakistani officials?
