Petrol pumps shut in protest against robbery in Tank

TANK: The All Petrol Pump Association closed down all petrol pumps in protest for an indefinite time in Tank district on Tuesday.

The strike was launched against robbery three days ago, in which Rs2.28 million were looted from Kashif Riaz Burki, the owner of petrol pump, at gunpoint by gunmen and the Tank deputy commissioner for allowing illegal petrol and diesel agencies to operate in Tank city and its surroundings.

The association said that they had given a 24-hour ultimatum to the deputy commissioner and the police to recover the looted Rs2.28 million and arrest the culprits within 24 hours or else petrol pump owners would go on strike.However, the deadline given by the Petrol Pump Association has passed, yet neither the amount was recovered nor the culprits were arrested.

They said that this was the fifth time that petrol pump owners have been robbed at gunpoint of millions of rupees. They claimed that due to the deteriorating law and order situation in Tank and the corruption of district administration, businesses had come to a grinding halt.

They also mentioned that they had contacted the division and provincial leaders of the Petrol Pump Association. “If the looted amount was not recovered and illegal agencies are not shut down, the strike could extend to the provincial and even national level,” they threatened.

They appealed to the Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur, Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah and other high-ranking officials to take urgent measures to recover the looted money and to replace the incompetent DC with a senior and experienced officer as DC Tank.Meanwhile, the shortage of petroleum products in the district has caused severe difficulties for travelers due to the strike by the Tank Petrol Pump Association.