The All Pakistan Petrol Pumps Owners Association (APPPOA) on Tuesday announced a nationwide shutdown of petrol pumps from Tuesday night after negotiations with the government over its key demands ended without an agreement.
The announcement comes days after the government introduced a daily fuel pricing mechanism, under which petroleum prices are revised based on the seven-day average of international oil prices.
Addressing a press conference, APPPOA Chairman Humayun Khan said representatives from all four provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), had met Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik to present the association’s demands.
Khan said the association had called for its dealer commission to be converted into a percentage-based system and for the government to replace the daily fuel pricing mechanism with the previous monthly review system.
According to Khan, the talks failed to resolve the association’s concerns, leaving petrol pump owners facing mounting financial difficulties.
He argued that frequent changes in fuel prices had caused dealers to suffer losses over the past two to three months and accused the government of shifting the financial burden onto petrol pumps, oil marketing companies (OMCs) and refineries while distancing itself from public criticism.
Khan also claimed that daily increases in petroleum prices ultimately had the same impact on consumers as a single large increase.
He said the association had sought a solution that would be fair to both consumers and petrol pump owners but concluded that the government was unwilling to address the concerns of the business community.
The APPPOA chairman confirmed that the strike would be observed nationwide, including in Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK, adding that the association was also in contact with oil tanker owners, who are expected to announce their own protest action.