Web Desk: Petrol pump owners across Pakistan will begin an indefinite nationwide shutdown from 12:00 am on Wednesday after negotiations with the government over a proposed shift to daily petroleum price revisions ended without an agreement, the All Pakistan Petroleum Pump Owners Association said.
The association said the strike followed the breakdown of discussions with the petroleum minister, as dealers rejected the government’s plan to revise fuel prices every day instead of under the existing monthly pricing mechanism.
Association Chairman Humayun Khan said petrol pump owners had urged the government to retain the monthly fuel pricing system, arguing that daily revisions would create significant operational and financial challenges for fuel retailers.
He said dealers were already struggling with rising business costs and warned that introducing daily price adjustments would further complicate operations at fuel stations nationwide.
Khan also called on the government to review dealer commissions, saying the existing margins were insufficient to meet the industry’s financial needs.
Meanwhile, Khan criticized the government for introducing the proposed pricing policy without consulting petrol pump owners, saying retailers had been excluded from the decision-making process.
He accused the authorities of overlooking the industry’s concerns while presenting an inaccurate picture of the policy to the public. He urged the government to engage in meaningful dialogue with fuel dealers to resolve their grievances.
Association Vice Chairman Nauman Ali Butt confirmed that discussions with the petroleum minister had failed to produce a compromise, describing the proposed move to daily fuel price revisions as unacceptable for the industry.
Following the unsuccessful negotiations, the association announced that petrol pumps across the country would remain closed from midnight for an indefinite period until the government addresses its demands.
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