Backlash: Petrol pumps shut down in Kohat

KOHAT: A large number of petrol stations in Kohat district were closed down after the federal government slashed fuel prices on Friday. As a result, long queues of vehicles could be seen in front of all major petrol pumps that were open. The decision comes on the seventh day of Muharram and has inconvenienced many citizens. According to a resident of Kohat, the situation in the city has already been tense due to Muharram and the scarcity of petrol in the district could further exacerbate it. The Express Tribune has learnt that some of the petrol stations subsequently resumed operations, but were selling fuel at exorbitant prices. Abdul Wahid, a local who had been standing in a queue at a petrol station, said owners of petrol stations immediately comply with the government’s orders when the fuel prices are increased but shut their stations down when prices are reduced. When contacted, owners of the petrol stations refused to comment on why petrol was not being sold to customers. They insisted stations were not selling petrol because they had limited supplies.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2014.