Petroleum dealers across Pakistan have announced an indefinite nationwide strike from 6am on August 15, warning that petrol stations will remain closed until the government accepts their demands.
The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) announced the decision following a meeting attended by dealers from across the country.
PPDA Chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh said dealers had exhausted their patience and were facing mounting pressure from the association’s approximately 14,000 members.
“We will not reopen petrol stations until our demands are met,” he said.
A key demand of the dealers is an increase in their profit margin on petroleum products. PPDA Vice-Chairman Anwar Kamal said the association had received no indication of progress on the issue.
He also claimed that the government had not contacted the association for the past two weeks to discuss its concerns.
The announcement comes amid wider disruption in the country’s transport sector, with goods transporters also engaged in a nationwide strike over their own demands and government policies.
The PPDA warned that petrol stations would remain closed for an indefinite period if the government failed to resolve the dispute before the August 15 deadline.