ISLAMABAD – The Petroleum Dealers Association has announced a nationwide 24-hour shutdown of petrol pumps starting at 6:00am on Thursday, while all factions of the association have unanimously presented three key demands to the government.
Following the dealers’ call for a countrywide strike, the government has invited representatives of the Petroleum Owners Association for negotiations in an effort to avert the shutdown.
The Petroleum Owners Association has also announced that all petrol pumps across Pakistan will remain closed from 12:00am tonight, reaffirming the strike unless their demands are addressed.
According to sources, the dealers’ first demand is to increase their profit margin from the current 2.6% to 8%. Their second demand is to scrap the government’s daily fuel pricing mechanism and restore fuel price revisions on either a fortnightly or monthly basis. The third demand calls for the abolition of the quota system imposed by oil marketing companies.
The protest follows the federal government’s decision on July 18 to authorize the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) to determine petrol and high-speed diesel prices on a daily basis, with updated rates to be published on the regulator’s official website.
Under the new pricing mechanism, the government raised the price of petrol by Rs5.44 per litre and high-speed diesel by Rs31 per litre for the first three days after the policy was introduced. Since then, petroleum product prices have been revised daily.
The government’s new policy has drawn criticism from consumers, transporters and petroleum dealers alike. Following the sharp increase in diesel prices, transport operators raised fares across the country, while petroleum dealers warned of protests and a nationwide strike if the daily pricing system is not withdrawn.
