Petroleum dealers announce closure of pumps nationwide from Aug 15

The association has given the government 72-hour ultimatum to solve their issues

KARACHI:

Petroleum dealers in Pakistan on Tuesday announced a shutdown of petrol pumps nationwide from Aug 15 for an indefinite period, following a wheel-jam strike by goods transporters across the country.

A day earlier, negotiations between the government and goods transporters failed to yield a breakthrough, with the All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance announcing that the ongoing strike would continue. Alliance President Malik Shehzad Awan said that despite detailed talks with representatives of the federal and Sindh governments, a deadlock persists and no concrete progress has been made on the transporters' demands.

Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Chairman Malik Khuda Baksh, during a press conference today alongside other association office-bearers, said the decision was taken after a meeting of dealers from across the country.

The chairman said, "The association has given the government a 72-hour ultimatum and warned that dealers will not be able to continue operating petrol pumps if their demands are not accepted".

Read: Petrol pump owners announce nationwide shutdown after talks with govt fail

"The dealers are demanding an 8% margin on petrol. Our patience has run out,” Baksh said, adding that the association was under pressure from its 14,000 members.

He said petrol pumps would remain closed until the dealers’ demands were met. The chairman said the government had been given two weeks to address their demands and that the deadline had expired.

He said the association had subsequently informed the government through a letter that it was facing pressure from 14,000 dealers.

“We withdrew the strike 15 days ago on ethical grounds because we believed the government was serious,” he said.

Read More: Dealers seek 8% margin amid daily fuel pricing

On July 22, All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association (APPPOA) postponed its planned nationwide shutdown for two weeks following successful negotiations with Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, who assured dealers that their long-pending concerns would be addressed.

APPPOA had also urged the Ministry of Petroleum to review the existing mechanism for determining fuel prices, expressing concern over delays in implementing decisions agreed between the government and petrol pump owners. In a letter to the petroleum minister sent on August 7, the association’s vice chairman called for a review of the policy under which fuel prices are determined on a daily basis.