PESHAWAR: The Petroleum Dealers Association once again announced country-wide strike against ‘Low-profit margin’ as a result all petrol pumps across the country will remain shut from 25 November.
This is the second protest call by the association. Earlier, the association announced to start the protest campaign from 5 November but after the assurance that profit margin will be increased to 6%, the association withdrawn the protests call. But now the association said that the federal government has failed to fulfill the commitment, thus, they will go on strike from 25 November.
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The association informed that petrol pumps in Pakistan’s controlled Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan will also remain closed on 25 November.
The Sarhad Petroleum and Cartage Dealers Association KP chapter chairman, Abdul Majid Khan, has said that because of the increase in production cost and inflation, it is not only difficult but impossible to do business in Pakistan. Majid said they have taken up their demands with the government time and again through relevant officials but the authorities are least bothered to pay attention towards to fulfill the demands. The Association chairman threatened that the pump owners have no other option but to protest if the government continued its “apathetic attitude towards their demands.”
He said that daily household expenses have increased manifold but the government has no concerns over the miseries of petrol pump owners and dealers. Thus, Majid said, the government is compelling them to protest.
Noman Ali Butt, secretary information of Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association, the government has not yet accepted their demands increasing the profit margin to 6%. Butt said that there will be no more talks with the government. Butt said that after the assurance of the government, the call for strike on 5 November was withdrawn but the government is not serious in implementing its commitments.