ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Petroleum Pumps Association (APPPA) has announced that petrol pumps across the country will close indefinitely from midnight on Wednesday, following the failure of negotiations with the Ministry of Petroleum.
In a video statement, APPPA General Secretary Nauman Ali Butt said discussions with the ministry had ended without an agreement.
According to Butt, the association strongly opposes the government’s proposed daily petroleum pricing mechanism.
“We cannot accept daily changes in petroleum product prices under any circumstances,” he said, adding that the association has rejected the proposed policy.
He announced that, following the breakdown of talks, petrol pumps nationwide would remain closed indefinitely starting at 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday night.
The dispute stems from the government’s decision to introduce a new fuel pricing mechanism under which the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) would issue daily ex-depot prices for petrol and high-speed diesel.
Under the proposed system, OGRA would calculate fuel prices based on the average international oil prices of the previous seven days, while prices announced before the weekend would remain unchanged on Saturday and Sunday.
The petroleum pumps association argues that daily price revisions would create operational difficulties for fuel retailers and has called on the government to reconsider the proposal.
At the time of reporting, the government had not issued an official response to the association’s announcement regarding the planned nationwide closure.
If implemented, the shutdown could disrupt fuel supplies and transportation services across Pakistan, although it remains to be seen whether further negotiations will take place before the announced deadline.
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