Burning issue: Citizens, political parties protest against petrol strike

Fuel stations remained closed on Wednesday; owners demand a 5% sales margin.

BAHAWALPUR/ MULTAN:

As many as 52 protest demonstrations were staged on Wednesday by citizens against the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) for suspending petrol sales.

The PPDA strike will enter its fifth day today (Thursday). Fuel station owners are demanding a bigger sales margin [5 per cent rather than 1.5 per cent].

The strike has resulted in suspension of sales at over 3,700 petrol pumps in 16 districts in the region. Small dealers, who have stocked petroleum at earlier rates, are selling it for Rs300 to Rs400 per litre.

Punjab Petroleum Dealers Association President Mustafa Saleemi told The Express Tribune on Wednesday that their demands had not been met.

He said the strike would be extended to the rest of Pakistan from today [Thursday]. “The provincial petroleum dealers’ associations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Balochistan, Sindh and Islamabad have assured us that they would also go on strike,” he said.

Khanewal District Coordination Officer Usman Muazzam on Wednesday directed the police, the district labour department and the civil defence department to ensure that the supply of petrol was restored at all petrol pumps. He said 85 petrol pumps had resumed service in Khanewal.

In other districts, students, the civil society and political parties demanded that supply of petrol should be resumed.



In Multan, the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) staged a protest demonstration and demanded that the government should stand by the people in this difficult time.

In Vehari, as many as 600 rickshaw drivers protested against the petroleum association for suspending petrol supply.

In Multan, a citizens’ rally demanded that the strike end immediately. The rally was attended by more than 2,000 people who gathered around the petrol pumps in the city.

In Bahawalpur, the petrol pump owners set up a protest camp at Fawara Chowk to press their demand.

Addressing the protest, Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Bahawalpur president Muhammad Yaseen said the petrol pump industry was going through a difficult time.

“We are being forced to accept losses rather than getting a fair return on our investment.” He said the protest would go on until their demand was met.

“Prices have gone up substantially since 2006-07 but our profit on petrol remains Rs2.25 per litre and Rs1.65 per litre on diesel.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2013.