Dhaka, April 4 -- The government is buying 100,000 tonnes of diesel from Kazakhstan to mitigate a fuel supply crunch caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase approved a proposal to that end in a rare Saturday session held virtually, chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

The high-speed diesel will be sourced from Kazakh Gas Processing Plant LLP.

The move comes as the energy ministry sought approval to import a total of 1.7 million tonnes of fuel from the UAE, Kazakhstan, and Oman to meet urgent domestic demand.

While the Economic Affairs Committee greenlit proposals for an additional 1.1 million tonnes of diesel and octane from UAE-based DBS Trading House FZCO a...