Pakistan’s petrol pump owners have announced an indefinite, nationwide shutdown after negotiations with the government over a new fuel pricing mechanism broke down, threatening fresh disruption to the country’s fuel supply chain.
Islamabad, Pakistan – Web Desk: In a video statement, Noman Ali Butt, General Secretary of the All Pakistan Petroleum Pumps Association, confirmed that talks with the Ministry of Petroleum had failed to produce an agreement. He said the association firmly rejects the government’s proposed daily price revision system, calling any policy that changes petroleum prices every single day completely unacceptable to pump operators across the country.
Butt announced that, following the collapse of negotiations, petrol pumps throughout Pakistan will close their operations from midnight, remaining shut for an indefinite period until the dispute is resolved.
The standoff stems from a recent government decision to overhaul the pricing structure for petroleum products. Under the new mechanism, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) was set to issue ex-depot prices for petrol and high-speed diesel on a daily basis, calculated using the average international prices from the preceding seven days. Prices set on Friday would remain unchanged over the weekend under the plan.
The looming shutdown raises the prospect of fuel shortages and long queues at filling stations nationwide, adding pressure on a government already grappling with rising global crude oil prices driven by ongoing Middle East tensions. It remains unclear whether authorities will resume talks with the association before the deadline takes effect.
