Pakistan: Petroleum dealers announce nationwide strike on Nov 25

The News International quoted the PPDA as saying that the countrywide strike is being called on Nov 25 as they are "not interested in selling petrol on low profit margins".

"We have no way but to go on strike as the government has failed to meet the Nov 17 deadline for fulfilment of our demands," said PPDA spokesperson.

The petrol pumps in Pakistan’s occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit Baltistan’s petrol pumps will also be closed on Thursday.

The spokesperson also warned the government of launching strike for an "unspecified period" if false consolation is continued to be given.

This is the second call for strike in less than three weeks by the PPDA.

They had earlier made a similar announcement for November 5 but withdrew after government announced its decision to hike the margins on the sale of petroleum product and services by 6 per cent within a few days.

The meeting agreed to form a committee under petroleum secretary Dr Arshad Mahmood to ensure proper implementation of the agreement through approvals from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) and the federal cabinet over the next 10 days, The News International reported.

However, nothing happened even after two weeks of the agreement.

“The petrol dealers have been in a financial ‘tatters’ on the high cost of business and low margin of returns,” PPDA chairman Abdul Sami Khan said on Nov 3.

He said only two percent of margin on sales of oil is guaranteed by the government amid rising electricity charges.

He said, “We demand the government to cancel our petrol pumps licences...nearly 50 per cent of the petrol pumps will close down permanently with licence cancellation as no one will reapply for acquisition.

“Immediate increase on ex-depot price in dealers’ margin for HSD (High Speed Diesel) and MS without burdening common people and without increasing prices of petroleum products, absorbing dealers’ margin increase by reducing Sales Tax and PDL."