Petrol pumps partially shut down across country

Day-long strike to protest federal budget taxes by 13,000 fuel stations was set to start at 6am today nationwide

LAHORE/KARACHI:

A nationwide strike by petroleum dealers against federal budget taxes saw some petrol stations shut down across many cities and major highways on Friday, however, most petrol pumps in major cities including Lahore and Karachi remained operational.

The day-long shutterdown strike called by the owners to protest the taxes introduced in the federal budget of around 13,000 fuel stations nationwide was set to start at 6am today.

Despite many petrol pumps in Karachi remaining closed on Friday morning, some continued operating as usual, especially along Rashid Minhas Road, University Road and Shahrah-e-Faisal.

In contrast, the majority of the fuel stations in Lahore did not observe the strike at all. The Petroleum Dealers Association Punjab stated that despite the breakdown of negotiations with the government, they would not shut down petrol pumps for the time being.

Yesterday, the chairman of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) Abdul Sami Khan, told The Express Tribune that the strike might be extended beyond one day.

The association announced the closure of pumps nationwide, excluding Islamabad.

Today, the PPDA General Secretary Khawaja Atif, stated, “We were not consulted about the strike. We will not advance this political agenda. Our support was conditional.”

He added that the high tax rates have made it difficult to sustain their businesses.

A faction of the association’s hopeful leaders declared their decision not to support the strike, opting instead to pursue another round of negotiations with authorities before considering an indefinite strike.

Negotiations between the All Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association and the government over the tax issue have once again failed, resulting in a continued deadlock.

As the clock struck midnight, pump owners in Karachi and other regions ceased the supply of petroleum products, causing inconvenience to the public.

In contrast, the Petroleum Division and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) issued directives to keep petrol pumps open.

OGRA spokesperson Imran Ghaznavi affirmed in a joint statement with the Petroleum Division that petroleum products would remain available across the country. "There is an adequate supply of petroleum products in the country," the statement assured.