Web Desk: Petrol dealers have maintained their plan to shut fuel stations nationwide on Saturday, Aug. 15, after talks with the government failed to resolve their demands, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association said.
The announcement raises the prospect of disruptions to fuel supplies across the country if the planned strike goes ahead.
Representatives of the dealers’ association held talks with the Petroleum Division on Wednesday under the leadership of Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik. The negotiations continued for around five hours but ended without an agreement.
The dealers said the government had rejected their demand to change the system for daily adjustments in petroleum product prices.
However, the government assured the dealers that it would consider increasing their profit margin by 1.34 Pakistani rupees, according to the association.
The dealers said any increase would require approval from the federal cabinet, leaving the issue unresolved.
Sources said the petroleum minister also expressed displeasure over a 72-hour ultimatum issued by the dealers before the talks.
With no significant progress in the negotiations, the dealers’ delegation decided to return to Karachi.
The delegation was led by association chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh and included senior representatives from Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Following the breakdown in talks, the association also called an emergency meeting of its executive committee in Karachi to discuss the next steps.
The association said its decision to close petrol stations across Pakistan on Aug. 15 remains unchanged.
The executive committee will determine the future course of action and discuss the strike arrangements, the association said.
If the shutdown proceeds as planned, motorists and businesses could face difficulties obtaining fuel, although the extent of any disruption will depend on participation by petrol station operators across the country.
The government has not yet announced a separate public response to the dealers’ decision following the failed negotiations.
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