Fuel scarcity in several areas of Balochistan amid rising Israel-Iran confrontation

QUETTA: With the rising Israel-Iran confrontation, the fuel situation in Balochistan has taken an alarming turn. The border’s ability to provide Iranian oil has been severely impacted, resulting in the closure of several gas stations.

The districts, including Turbat, Gwadar, Panjgur, Chagai, Washuk, and Mashkail, that border Iran in Balochistan are the most severely impacted.

These areas are not only experiencing a halt in Iranian oil supplies but also a food scarcity because the majority of edible goods are also imported from Iran.

The stoppage of the flow of Iranian smuggled oil through the regions of Makran, Rakhshan, and Chagai has resulted in the closure of between 60 and 70 percent of gas stations.

The local authorities previously shut down the gas stations that sold illegally obtained Iranian gasoline and diesel last week, which made matters worse for residents of Quetta and adjacent districts.

While the government set the local gasoline price at Rs254 per litre, those in the Iranian fuel industry raised rates, selling petrol for Rs280 to Rs300 per liter on the black market.

The road blockade between Quetta and the port city at several locations also had an impact on the delivery of gasoline from Karachi.

No fuel scarcity

However, as the majority of gas stations were operational in the provincial capital, the authorities of Balochistan asserted that there was no fuel scarcity in the province.

Shahid Rind, Spokesperson for the provincial government, denied in a statement that the province was experiencing a gasoline scarcity.

He said that gas stations that sell Iranian oil pose a safety risk, adding that 28 fuel-related incidents occurred in Quetta during the previous month, including ones on Airport Road and in the Hazar Ganji neighborhood.

“Those who want to lift the ban on smuggled Iranian fuel are exaggerating these so-called shortages,” Rind said, adding that stringent measures are being implemented to guarantee the supply of legal gasoline through authorized pumps. If gas stations are discovered to be hoarding or rejecting service, they will be subject to swift legal action, he said.