Petroleum Secretary Hamed Yaqoob Sheikh said on Monday that the country currently has petrol stocks for 27 days and diesel reserves sufficient for 21 days amid a global supply crunch brought on by the Mideast crisis.

Earlier this month, the government sharply increased diesel and petrol prices by Rs55 per litre or 20% — due to the ongoing US-Israel and Iran war, which has disrupted supply chains and pushed crude oil prices to two years’ highest level. The increase in petrol prices was more than the surge in the international market, as the government chose to collect more than required money from motorcyclists and car owners to subsidise the use of diesel mostly by the public transport and the agriculture sector.

However, on Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided not to increase the prices of petroleum products this time, honouring his promise to the public despite a further rise in international oil prices.

Read More: Iran FM says ready to take war with Israel, US ‘as far as’ necessary

The petroleum secretary briefed the Senate Standing Committee on Petroleum today over the country’s fuel reserves and the impact of rising tensions in the Middle East on global energy supplies.

Sheikh aid the country also had liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) reserves for nine days and JP-1 aviation fuel stocks for 14 days. The petroleum secretary said that around 70% of Pakistan’s petroleum supplies came from the Middle East and the ongoing regional tensions had disrupted shipments, with vessel movement currently affected.

The committee’s members were told that the price of high-speed diesel had surged from $88 to $187 per barrel, while petrol price was increased from $74 to $130. Prior to the conflict, crude oil was priced at $72 per barrel, but rose to $88 on the second day of the war and had now reached $115 per barrel.

He said oil shipments from Arab countries usually arrived within four to five days via the Strait of Hormuz, however, supplies routed through the Red Sea were now taking around 12 days to reach Pakistan.

Sheikh added that the government was trying to stretch the use of existing reserves and had temporarily allowed the import of oil below Euro-5 standards to manage the situation.

Read More: How many countries have pushed back on Trump’s Hormuz ship demand?

The committee members were informed that a ministerial committee formed by the prime minister was reviewing the petroleum supply situation on a daily basis. Sheikh added that despite the rise in international prices, petroleum products remained available across the country.

The petroleum secretary also said the country currently had crude oil reserves sufficient for 11 days, while two tankers carrying petrol and diesel had recently arrived. He noted that options were being explored to purchase oil from Russia, which was currently being bought by many countries worldwide.

He said Pakistan was also in talks with Iran to allow oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that four Pakistani oil vessels waiting in the region could proceed immediately if permission was granted.

The committee members were also informed that gas supplies from Qatar were completely suspended due to the ongoing conflict. Officials added domestic gas production had been increased in response to manage demand.

They said that of eight LNG cargoes expected in March, only two arrived while six could not reach Pakistan because of the war. In April, three out of six scheduled cargoes were also expected to be delayed. They warned that the country could face a gas shortage after April 14 if supplies did not resume.

Read More: USS Abraham Lincoln moves farther from Iran after reported drone threats

An emergency gas supply plan for March was also presented to the committee. Under the proposal, system gas supply is expected to decrease from 655 to 642 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd), while RLNG supply could increase from 28 to 30 mmcfd. Overall gas supply was projected to decline from 683 to 672 mmcfd.

The plan proposed increasing gas supply for domestic consumers from 399 to 420 mmcfd, while reducing consumption in the commercial sector from 10 to 8 MMCFD and in the process industry from 140 to 120 mmcfd.

Gas supply to the power sector is expected to increase from 18 to 20 mmcfd, while fertiliser plants may receive 30 mmcfd, up from 29 mmcfd. Supply to captive power plants was proposed to be reduced from 82 to 70 mmcfd.

The officials added that Pakistan also had an agreement with a company in Azerbaijan for LNG supplies if demand rose, although it would be three times more expensive.