People across Pakistan can expect uninterrupted fuel supplies after petroleum dealers and pump owners decided to postpone their planned nationwide strike.
The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) announced that it has called off the strike after successful negotiations with the government.
According to the association, the government assured dealers that their long-standing demand for an increase in dealer margins would be addressed.
Secretary Information of the Petrol Pumps Owners Association, Nadeem Khan, said the government has given a firm assurance that the dealers’ demands will be fulfilled.
“On the government’s assurance, we are postponing our protest. We are hopeful that the issue of petrol pump owners’ commission will be resolved within the next two weeks,” he said.
Khan also said the government has agreed to test the proposed daily fuel pricing system for two weeks before taking a final decision on its implementation.
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The strike was scheduled to begin on Thursday, July 23, and had sparked fears of fuel shortages and long queues at petrol stations across the country.
With the strike now postponed, petrol pumps will continue operating as usual and fuel supplies are expected to remain stable.
Petroleum dealers have been seeking higher profit margins, saying that increasing operational costs, inflation, and other business expenses have made the existing commission structure difficult to sustain.