PESHAWAR: Petrol pump owners and dealers have deferred their strike after the government assurance of accepting their demands.
But they warned that if the profit margin was not increase as per commitment, they would go on strike for an indefinite period from November 20.
Read more:
Petroleum dealers demand increase in profit margin
Business community rejects overnight hike in petrol prices
National Assembly: Opposition rejects increase in petrol prices
Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Friday, Chairman, Sarhad Petroleum and Cartage Dealers Association Abdul Majid Khan said that All Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association delegation led by its chairman Abdul Sami Khan met with Federal Minister Hammad Azhar, Secretary Petroleum, high official of OGRA and others, during which they had been assured to accept their demands within next ten days, especially increase in profit margin by 6% after which the association put off previous strike call on November 5.
He said they are demanding an increase in profit margin for the last three years but the government did not accept it. He said doing business under the present increasing expenditures is not only difficult, but has been made impossible. The association chairman expressed fear that 80% petrol pumps will be closed, if the government did not increase margin, which would create massive unemployment and affect their poor families. He said the increase in profit margin is essential owing to increasing ‘price-hike’, collection of multiple taxes, increase in staff/employees’ salaries and other expenditures.
Majid Khan informed that the current profit margin is Rs3.91 per litre, after paying off various taxes, expenditures that resultantly fully ended the profit margin. So, he asked: how can it be possible to do business in the present situation? To question, he replied that more than 1500 petrol pumps have been established across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which are facing various problems to smooth operation. He said doing business in three different shifts is much more difficult, like Jehad [holy war].
The association chairman made it clear that if the government did not increase profit margin as per commitment so the pumps owners and dealers would be compel to go on strike from November 20.