Petroleum dealers issue 72-hour ultimatum

KARACHI: Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Associa­tion (PPDA) has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the government over its failure to fulfil promises made by the petroleum minister to resolve their issues, especially the increase in margin to eight per cent on the retail sale price of petrol.

The association warned that if the government failed to meet its demands within 72 hours, petrol pumps across the country would shut down indefinitely from 6am on Saturday (August 15) and would not reopen until those demands were met.

PPDA Chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh, along with senior office-bearers, told a press conference that petroleum dealers would be unable to continue their businesses if the government failed to accept their demands.

Mr Malik said that, following a meeting of dealers from across the country, it had been jointly decided to demand an 8pc margin on petrol. Dealers’ patience had run out, and more than 14,000 members were putting pressure on the association to take action.

Threaten indefinite nationwide shutdown from Aug 15

On Aug 7, the PPDA chairman informed the Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik that he had been receiving significant concerns from petroleum dealers and association members regarding the unresolved issues facing the petroleum retail sector.

He recalled that when the association was considering a nationwide strike previously, the minister had requested the PPDA to defer the proposed action and assured us that the issues would be reviewed and reconciled within two weeks.

The daily price mechanism system had created serious operational and financial challenges for the petroleum dealers, resulting in inventory losses, erosion of working capital and substantial financial strain on the retail sector, he informed the federal minister.

The existing commission was insufficient to cover rising inflation, electricity and gas expenses, employees’ salaries and other operational costs, he said.

Earlier, the PPDA Executive Committee meeting had also strongly criticised the “Company Allocation Policy,” describing it as discriminatory and contrary to the business interests of dealers. The association demanded that the policy be reviewed immediately and made transparent and fair.

Published in Dawn, August 12th, 2026