Pakistan Petrol Pump Association announces nationwide shutdown

ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Petrol Pumps Association has announced an indefinite nationwide closure of petrol stations beginning at midnight Wednesday after negotiations with the government over a proposed daily fuel pricing mechanism ended without agreement.

In a video statement, the association’s Secretary General, Nauman Ali Butt, said talks with the Ministry of Petroleum had failed and rejected the government’s plan to revise petroleum product prices on a daily basis.

Butt said the association could not accept the proposed daily pricing mechanism and confirmed that petrol pumps across Pakistan would remain closed from 12 a.m. until further notice.

The dispute centers on the government’s decision to introduce a new pricing system under which the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) would announce ex-depot prices for petrol and high-speed diesel on a daily basis.

Under the proposed mechanism, OGRA would determine prices based on the average international oil prices over the preceding seven days, while prices announced before the weekend would remain unchanged on Saturdays and Sundays.