Petrol pump owners defer nationwide strike for two weeks after govt assurances

The All Pakistan Petroleum Pump Owners Association (APPPOA) has postponed its nationwide strike for two weeks after the government agreed to review dealers’ margins and the newly introduced daily fuel pricing mechanism.

The association had announced an indefinite shutdown from Wednesday night after earlier talks with the government failed to resolve its objections to daily petroleum price revisions.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik said the strike was deferred after another round of negotiations in which the government assured the association that its concerns would be addressed within the next fortnight.

He said the issue of dealers’ margins would be discussed with the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and other stakeholders before a summary and progress report were submitted to the federal cabinet.

“For some years now, the issue of dealers’ margins has been pending. A progress report and summary will be presented to the cabinet to ensure that those earning honestly can meet their expenses through the margin,” Malik said.

The minister also said daily fuel pricing would be implemented on a trial basis for two weeks and reviewed after the period to assess its advantages and difficulties.

APPPOA Information Secretary Nadeem Aziz Khan said the government had provided the commitment in writing following a detailed meeting with the petroleum minister.

He said the mechanism would continue if it did not create major problems. Otherwise, the government would consider returning to monthly or fortnightly price revisions.

Khan said the association had deferred its shutdown on the minister’s assurance and maintained that its demand for higher dealers’ margins was legitimate and had remained unresolved since 2022.

APPPOA Vice Chairman Nauman Ali Butt had earlier described daily fuel pricing as unworkable and unacceptable for petrol pump dealers. He said the association wanted prices to be fixed monthly and noted that dealers’ commission had remained frozen for three years.