KARACHI: The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has announced that petrol pumps across the country will be closed indefinitely from March 27 if their demands are not accepted by the government.
Addressing a press conference, PPDA leaders Abdul Sami Khan, Amir Khan Mehsud and Tariq Hassan said the recent increase in petroleum prices had benefited oil marketing companies by billions of rupees, while the dealers’ margin had been ignored.
President of the association’s Sindh chapter Amir Khan Mehsud warned that if the dealers’ margin was not increased immediately, the supply of petroleum products would be suspended from the night of March 26.
“We cannot continue our business while operating at a loss,” he said.
Abdul Sami Khan said the dealers would no longer rely on polite negotiations with the government and were ready to adopt a tougher stance. He added that the continuous increase in petroleum levy and fuel prices had created serious difficulties for both the public and the dealers.
The leaders also claimed that oil marketing companies had imposed “capping” on the supply of petroleum products, due to which dealers were not receiving adequate petrol and diesel and several pumps were running dry and shutting down.
Amir Khan Mehsud further expressed concern that the government might increase petroleum prices by up to Rs50 per litre later tonight, warning that such a move could further worsen the situation.
