Petrol pump owners threaten to close petrol pumps

ISLAMABAD:  The All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association has warned that if their concerns are not addressed, petrol pumps across the country will be closed.

The association has demanded an immediate meeting with Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik. In a letter to the minister, Vice Chairman Noman Ali Butt took the position that petrol pump owners across the country are facing serious problems related to operational, financial, pricing and emergency situations (force majeure).

This development has come in the context of uncertainty in fuel prices due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East, as a result of which the government has increased the prices of petroleum products.

The letter said that the same issues were raised on March 6 but no response was received. The association demanded that stakeholders be included in policymaking related to the petroleum sector.

The association said that the problems of about 14 to 15 thousand petrol pump owners across the country require urgent attention and an urgent meeting is necessary in this regard.

The letter warned that if the demands are ignored, the pump owners will be forced to close operations, which may lead to a fuel crisis in the country.

The association expressed hope that the government will respond positively, otherwise the responsibility for any crisis will fall on the Petroleum Division.

It is worth mentioning that since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, the government has increased the prices of petrol and diesel by Rs 55 per liter, kerosene by more than Rs 200 and high-octane fuel by about Rs 200 per liter.

On the other hand, on Tuesday, the meeting of the committee monitoring petrol prices was informed that Pakistan has ensured most of the petrol supply for March and April.

The meeting was chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, which reviewed the energy supply and the situation in the global oil and gas market.