KARACHI: After weeks of turmoil over the disputed daily fuel pricing mechanism, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has sent a fresh proposal to the Prime Minister, recommending a return to the earlier system of revising prices every 7 or 15 days.
Addressing an emergency press conference in Karachi the other day, PPDA Chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh said the summary was prepared in light of reduced tensions in the Middle East war situation.
“Daily fluctuations are unacceptable. Prices should be fixed every 7 or 15 days as before,” he stressed.
The move comes against the backdrop of mounting unrest in the petroleum sector.
The daily pricing formula had already triggered a nationwide strike by goods transporters, paralyzing supply chains, while petrol pump owners threatened shutdowns unless their demands were met.
In response, the government recently increased the dealers’ margin by Rs1.34, raising it to Rs10 per liter, prompting the PPDA to postpone a strike scheduled for Saturday.
Vice Chairman Tariq Hassan noted that dealers had not seen a margin increase in three years, costing them nearly $50 million.
Vice Chairman Anwar Kamal added that the government has set a deadline of March 23, 2027, to digitize all petrol pumps nationwide, assigning responsibility to oil marketing companies. He pointed out that only 10 percent of the country’s 14,000 pumps have been digitized so far.
It may be added here that despite government leaders’ repeated claims of playing a “leading role” in international peace politics, citizens remain frustrated that relief at the pump has yet to materialize.
With transporters’ strikes, dealers’ ultimatums, and consumers burdened by heavy levies, the debate over fuel pricing has come full circle — back to the question of whether fortnightly revisions are the only workable solution.
