QUETTA: Petrol pumps refused to sell oil to unvaccinated people here on Wednesday as the local administration has imposed a ban on selling oil to those who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19.

Hundreds of people who reached petrol pumps returned without getting oil as they failed to produce vaccination certificates issued by the National Database and Registration Authority.

“We are not providing oil to unvaccinated people as directed by the local administration,” Mohammad Afzal, who works at a petrol pump in Quetta, said, adding the administration had issued strict orders in this regard.

Quetta Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said that the ban on the sale of oil to unvaccinated people had been imposed to force them to get themselves vaccinated.

“We have decided to take strict measures against those who have not been vaccinated despite the spread of the fourth wave of coronavirus,” Mr Memon said.

On the other hand, the ban provided an opportunity to those involved in Iranian petrol business to increase the price as the people started visiting outlets selling Iranian petrol.

They were selling Iranian petrol at the rate of Rs70 per litre till Wednes­day morning, but when petrol pumps refused to provide oil to unvaccinated people, they suddenly increased the price to Rs90.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2021