KARACHI – Residents of Karachi were left high and dry on Tuesday as the petrol crisis became severe due to strike by Oil Tankers Contractors Association (OTCA).
According to Geo News, as many as 20 percent of fuel stations in the metropolis dried out amid a long-standing tax dispute.
Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Chairperson Abdul Sami Khan told Geo News that petrol was available at several fuel stations in the city, but the issue was mostly reported at privately-owned petrol pumps.
The impasse between Oil Tankers Contractors Association and government resulted after the imposition of 16% sales tax on oil tankers, which came into effect on Saturday.
Oil Tankers Contractors Association Senior Vice Chairman Shams Shahwani stated that his association was ready to pay the newly imposed tax, but they wanted to understand the mechanism as to who would collect the tax and when and where.
‘We will not pay the tax from our pocket; it would be the oil marketing companies which would bear the cost,’ he remarked.
A video posted on microblogging site Twitter depicts the traffic snarl-ups in Pakistan’s biggest city due to the ongoing crisis.
https://twitter.com/Samarjournalist/status/849226171774451713
