Petroleum dealers across Pakistan have announced that petrol pumps will stay closed indefinitely starting from August 15. The decision was taken by the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association after talks with the government failed to resolve their long-standing problems.
Association Chairman Malik Khuda Baksh said the dealers have given the government a 72-hour ultimatum. He explained that their patience has run out and pressure from about 14,000 members is growing. The main demand is an increase in their petrol profit margin to 8%. Dealers also want changes to the daily fuel price system, which they say creates financial difficulties and losses on existing stocks.
Earlier, the government had asked for two weeks to address the issues, but dealers say no real progress was made. The association had postponed an earlier strike call as a goodwill gesture, hoping for a solution. Now they say pumps will not reopen until their demands are accepted.
