November 13, 2002	Wednesday	Ramazan 7, 1423

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QUETTA, Nov 12: Petrol pump and oil tanker owners went on strike for an indefinite period on Tuesday in Balochistan in protest against the illegal sale of smuggled Iranian petrol and diesel.

On the call given by All Balochistan Petroleum Association, all petrol pumps remained closed here and in other cities of the province, causing difficulties to the vehicle owners.

Traffic remained thin throughout the day as petrol pump owners’ strike forced the people to keep their buses, trucks, cars and motorcycles parked.

The association’s president, Mohammad Ali Kurd, announced that the strike would continue till the sale of smuggled petrol and diesel was stopped.

He said the association had warned the government last week about the strike and demanded action against the sale of smuggled oil, but the government did not take action in this regard.

He said Iranian oil was available on cheep rates while the petrol pump owners were facing huge losses due to changes in petrol prices after every 15 days.

He said the association would not compromise on its demands and would continue its protest until smuggling of petrol was stopped.

The Oil Tankers Association also joined the strike and refused to transport petrol and diesel to the provincial capital from Karachi. No oil tanker entered Balochistan from Karachi and other areas.

The striking pump owners did not allow Pakistan State Oil, Shell, and Caltex to open their depots here.

Despite the strong reaction and strike of petrol pump owners, smuggled Iranian petrol was on sale in different areas and the police and other law enforcement agencies failed to stop it. The price of smuggled petrol was increased and it was available at Rs29 per litre instead of Rs23 to Rs25.