KARACHI: The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) announced the suspension of its strike on Friday, with a stern warning to resume if its demands were not addressed promptly.
Chairperson of the PPDA Abdul Sami Khan, while speaking at a press conference on Friday, clarified that the decision to call off the strike was influenced by the challenges faced by tourists in the northern regions due to the closure of petrol stations. He emphasized, however, that this did not signify a retreat from their demands.
“Calling off the strike does not mean we have abandoned our demands. We reserve the right to announce another strike and even march towards Islamabad,” Sami told reporters. The PPDA had initiated the strike in protest against the introduction of a 0.5 per cent advance turnover tax in the current fiscal year’s budget, citing unsuccessful negotiations with government authorities to repeal the tax.
Sami Khan accused district administrations in Punjab and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of pressuring petroleum dealers against participating in the strike. He claimed that the imposition of the 0.5 per cent advance turnover tax had led to double taxation on dealers.
Initially, the strike called by the PPDA did not result in a complete shutdown of petrol pumps in Karachi. While a majority remained closed, some continued to operate throughout the day.
Regarding the strike’s impact, Sami Khan described it as successful, noting that Karachi has approximately 500 petrol pumps. Of these, about 20 are owned by oil marketing companies (OMCs), while 30-35 pumps are managed by dealers affiliated with OMCs.“The pumps owned and operated by OMCs remained open,” he clarified, “while all others remained closed.”