Tough day for KP motorists as fuel stations remain shut

PESHAWAR: The motorists and passengers suffered a lot on Thursday as the privately-owned filling stations in the provincial capital and elsewhere in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remained closed on the call of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association.

The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association earlier this week had announced that all petrol stations across Pakistan would remain shut on November 25 against what they called the government's alleged backtracking on its promise to raise petroleum commission.

In Peshawar, a few Pakistan State Oil (PSO) stations remained open and most of them were closed. Long queues of vehicles were seen outside the selected filing stations which remained in service. A great rush was witnessed at the filling station located outside the Peshawar Central Prison which is reportedly owned by a state entity.

The majority of the filling stations were wearing a deserted look as the owners had erected tents there, blocking the entrance of the vehicles to the facilities. A filling station owner in Saddar said more than 150 petrol stations in Peshawar were closed to compel the government to raise the dealer profit margin to six per cent.

The association had set up a protest camp outside the PSO Depot in Taru Jabba. The association said the strike would continue till the government accepted the demand. The situation was almost the same in other districts of KP where the fuel stations remained shut as well to force the government to raise their commissions.

Meanwhile, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) spokesperson Imran Ghaznavi said the authority was in touch with oil marketing companies to ensure an uninterrupted supply of petroleum products. "Ogra teams are in touch with stakeholders and engaged in smooth supplies," he tweeted.