PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Petroleum Cartage and Dealers Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Saturday announced that its all members would go on a strike across the province from tomorrow (Monday) against the government’s ‘failure to keep its promise’ to increase their profit margin.

Association chairman Majid Khan and general secretary Gul Nawaz Afridi told reporters here that the distributors’ profit margin on petrol and diesel was

four and three per cent, respectively, despite the government’s promise to increase it to six per cent.

“All petrol and diesel filling stations will remain closed from next Monday across the province. The strike will continue until our demands are met,” said Mr Majid, who was accompanied by all divisional presidents of the association.

Insist govt didn’t keep promise to increase their profit margin

The association chairman said the last PM Imran Khan-led government had promised to jack up the distributors’ commission to six per cent by June 2022 but that promise had yet to be fulfilled.

The association’s Kohat division president, Amjad Ali Shinwari, said petroleum dealers in the region fully backed the strike call on July 18.

He said it was not possible to do business with the current profit margin.

Association leader from Dera Ismail Khan Jan Alam Mehsud urged petrol dealers to forge unity to protect their interests.

Haji Rahim of the association’s Mardan chapter warned that petroleum dealers would suffer huge losses if they were forced to do business with the current low profit margin.

He endorsed the strike call.

Members of the association from Malakand division Khizar Hayat Khan and Sultan Rome and office-bearers from Chitral, Bannu and Hazara divisions also said filling station owners and petrol dealers in their areas would observe strike to protect their rights.

Earlier, the association members met at the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry here to discuss strategy about the call given by the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association for a countrywide strike.

Association central chairman Abdul Sami Khan told participants via video link that the last petroleum minister had promised him and other leaders to increase the petroleum dealers’ profit margin to 6 per cent by June 2022.

He said the demand was repeated during a meeting with the petroleum minister, but the association was forced to go on strike after the government’s non-seriousness attitude as the business was quietly difficult and impossible under the dealers’ profit margin.

“Not only product value increased but the dealers’ expenditure also surged, so the dealers should be united to raise voice to claim rights,” he said.

Mr Sami said petroleum dealers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would respond to the strike call by closing businesses on July 18.

SCCI president Hasnain Khursheed told participants that their demands were legitimate and that they had a right to use lawful ways and means to claim their rights.

He said that the SCCI hoped that the federal government would seriously consider issues of the petroleum association and address them amicably yet effectively.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2022