Amid unprecedented high prices, Pakistanis could face petrol shortage across the country as the Oil Tankers Association has initiated a strike, halting the supply from the Islamabad Sihala depot until their demands are addressed.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Oil Tankers Association said that the supply of petroleum products to Azad Jammu and Kashmir, the airport, Hazara Division, Attock and Gilgit-Baltistan would remain suspended. The supply of petrol to Rawalpindi and Islamabad had also been stopped. Key demands of the association include higher freight rates, an increased share of the White Oil Pipeline, and permission to use older vehicles for transportation.
“We demand of the government that the share of transport running on the White Oil Pipeline should be increased to 65%,” said a statement issued by the Oil Tankers Association on September 18, adding that fares should be raised, old vehicles should be reinstated, and local trips expanded by 50%.
“Petrol supply will remain suspended until the demands are not accepted.”
As stated by the Oil Tankers Contractors Association (OTCA) spokesperson, Noman Ali Butt, oil tankers ceased their supply operations on Monday morning.
“We are businessmen, and we pay taxes to the government. We remained silent for five years in the interest of the country,” he said, adding that, “we also presented our issues to the authorities concerned. We are peaceful people and have nothing to do with protests”.
The supply from crucial terminals like Port Qasim, Korangi, Keamari, Jaglot, Sihala, and Shikarpur depots has already been impacted. Simultaneously, the provision of petroleum products came to a halt in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi as well.
Meanwhile, the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) issued a cautionary alert regarding a potential deficit in petroleum products.
“Due to the strike by oil transporters across the country, there is a problem in the supply of petroleum products,” an OCAC letter to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum Division stated. In the letter, the OCAC expressed their concern, urging immediate intervention to resolve the issues through negotiations.
Verbal communications are ongoing in the hope of scheduling a meeting with relevant ministries to address their grievances.
If a resolution is not reached soon, the impending fuel shortage could severely impact daily life and economic activities across the country. Petroleum filling stations currently have supplies for the next two to three days, but prolonged strike action threatens to exacerbate the situation, warned OTCA’s spokesperson.
