RAWALPINDI: All Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association on Wednesday threatened to go on strike if the oil marketing companies did not release diesel to filling stations within two days.

Addressing a press conference at the Rawalpindi Press Club, the association’s information secretary, Noman Butt, said according to Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra), there was sufficient stock of diesel available in the country for the next 21 days but it was not being supplied to filling stations.

He said wheat harvesting season had begun in the northern parts of the country.

He said approximately, 10,000 litres of diesel was sold in two hours during the wheat harvesting season but no company was providing the fuel to filling stations, adding that only Pakistan State Oil (PSO) had the capacity to store diesel in its godowns and was providing it to filling stations.

“The district administration is putting pressure on petroleum dealers to sell diesel and end shortage. However, the petrol filling stations are helpless as they were not receiving any supply from the companies,” Mr Butt said.

He said instead to putting pressure on filling stations, the government should ask private petroleum companies to release diesel immediately.

“Government officials should open their eyes and see the reality. Private companies are not providing any product at all. If there is diesel, it is only available in PSO pumps,” he said.

Mr Butt said that if the government raised the price today, diesel crisis would end tomorrow.

“The oil firms are responsible for the current diesel crisis; the government should take action against them,” he said, adding that attempts were being made to contact Ogra on a daily basis, but they were not giving time to the association.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2022