Acting on directions from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Punjab government has ordered an immediate province-wide crackdown on illegal petrol pumps, identifying 238 fuel outlets operating without registration.
Sources quoting official communication issued by the Punjab Home Department on December 20, 2025, district-wise data of petrol pumps not registered on the Rahguzar App, the mandatory digital verification platform, was shared by the Federal Board of Revenue and forwarded to relevant departments for urgent compliance.
The matter has been marked “top priority,” with district administrations asked to shut down all identified outlets and submit compliance reports ahead of a high-level meeting chaired by the Ministry of Interior.
Sources also revealed that the largest concentration of illegal petrol pumps is in Multan district, where around 80 outlets have been flagged, many operating as mini or two-unit pumps along Multan Road, Shujabad Road, Jalalpur Pirwala, Muzaffargarh Road and adjoining rural belts.
According to the sources, these outlets have been posing serious safety risks and are a major channel for untaxed and smuggled fuel. They said that Bhakkar district has followed with about 27 illegal pumps, spread across MM Road, Bhakkar city, Darya Road, Kotla Jam and adjoining localities. Jhang district has accounted for approximately 26 illegal outlets, largely concentrated on bypass roads and rural link roads, while Sargodha district has around 20 pumps operating without registration, many on Khushab Road and in surrounding chaks.
In Sahiwal, authorities identified 12 illegal petrol pumps, mainly along Arifwala Road, whereas Mianwali has eight such outlets operating on Sargodha Road and Jand Road. Gujrat district has six illegal pumps, including outlets near Wazirabad and Chenab river crossings, while Mandi Bahauddin accounted for seven unregistered petrol stations, said sources.
It is also learnt from the sources that around 15 illegal petrol pumps are operating in Dera Ghazi Khan, operating along Multan Road, Jampur Road and Manka Road, and nearly 20 outlets across Bahawalnagar and Bahawalpur districts, including along Haveli Naseer Road and Bahawalnagar-Haroonabad Road. Rahim Yar Khan and Taunsa together account for around 10 illegal pumps, many located near the Indus Highway and Zahir Pir Road.
Major urban centres are not exempt. Lahore district has about 10 illegal petrol pumps, including outlets on Multan Road, Raiwind Road, and in DHA EME. In northern Punjab, Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelu,m and Chakwal districts collectively account for around 15 illegal pumps, while Islamabad Capital Territory has one identified outlet operating near the motorway chowk.
