Petroleum dealers in Pakistan on Tuesday announced a nationwide shutdown of petrol pumps from August 15, for an indefinite period, following a wheel-jam strike by goods transporters across the country.
The announcement came a day after negotiations between the government and goods transporters failed to yield a breakthrough, with the All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance saying the ongoing transport strike would continue. Alliance President Malik Shehzad Awan said that despite detailed talks with representatives of the federal and Sindh governments, a deadlock persists, with no concrete progress made on transporters’ demands.
Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Chairman Malik Khuda Baksh, addressing a press conference alongside other association office-bearers, said the decision to shut down pumps was taken after a meeting of dealers from across the country. “The association has given the government a 72-hour ultimatum and warned that dealers will not be able to continue operating petrol pumps if their demands are not accepted,” he said.
Dealers are demanding an 8% margin on petrol sales. “Our patience has run out,” Baksh said, adding that the association was under pressure from its 14,000 members. He said petrol pumps would remain closed until the dealers’ demands are met, noting that the government had been given two weeks to address the issue and that the deadline has now expired. He said the association had subsequently informed the government through a letter that it was facing pressure from its full membership. “We withdrew the strike 15 days ago on ethical grounds because we believed the government was serious,” he said.
On July 22, the All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association had postponed a planned nationwide shutdown for two weeks following what appeared to be successful negotiations with Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, who had assured dealers their long-pending concerns would be addressed. The association had also urged the Ministry of Petroleum to review the existing mechanism for determining fuel prices, citing concern over delays in implementing decisions previously agreed between the government and petrol pump owners. In a letter sent to the petroleum minister on August 7, the association’s vice chairman called for a review of the policy under which fuel prices are set on a daily basis.
