Petroleum dealers hold emergency meeting to decide strike's future
The fuel crisis worsened in South Punjab as 90% of all petrol pumps closed down in the city of Faisalabad.
The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has called an emergency meeting today to decide on the next course of action for their countrywide strike.
The meeting, scheduled for 6pm, will determine whether the petrol pump strike will be extended beyond.
PPDA Chairman Abdul Sami Khan stated that no negotiations have taken place with the government or administration thus far.
He highlighted that over 525 petrol pumps are present in Karachi, with only company-operated or company-dealer petrol pumps remaining open.
The city typically sees daily sales of 3.5 to 4 million litres of petrol and diesel, he added.
Earlier in the day, the strike by the petroleum dealers against federal budget taxes saw some petrol stations shut down across many cities and major highways, 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 Division and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) have 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.