The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has called for a nationwide strike at petrol pumps starting from July 5th amid newly imposed taxes after negotiations with the federal government collapsed on Wednesday.
According to the spokesperson of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association, Abdul Sami Khan, the strike could potentially extend beyond a day if their demands are not addressed.
The spokesperson instructed petrol pump owners to stock fuel until July 4th. He stated, “Starting tomorrow, pumps will experience a nationwide fuel drought as part of the protest.”
He emphasized that heavy taxation imposed on pump dealers is against the laws of the constitution, and the dealer association will strike until these taxes are revoked.
“We are already running petrol pumps with minimal profit. It’s already challenging to sustain our business in an economy with such high inflation,” Khan said. “The additional burden of taxes will destroy our business. There is no other option but to close the business because of this unfair tax,” he asserted.
The Petroleum Dealers Association advised citizens to ensure that their vehicle tanks are full before July 5th due to concerns that potential protests could cause disruptions for the public.
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“We met with the Federal Minister of Finance and the Chairman of OGRA to address our concerns, but the results were not fruitful,” Abdul Sami Khan said.
The government issued a directive on Tuesday for oil marketing companies (OMCs) to ensure that there are ample stocks of petroleum products at company-owned or company-operated sites and other OMC-associated locations as a preventive measure. This is to prevent any disturbance in the supply chain and to avoid causing inconvenience to the general public and industry in the event of a strike.
