PESHAWAR: Petrol pump owners and dealers have urged the government to increase their profit margin to five per cent — or Rs12 to Rs15 per litre — on the sale of petroleum products, citing rising operational costs, heavy taxation, and inflationary pressures.

The demand was made during a meeting between a delegation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Petroleum Dealers and Cartridge Association (KPPDCA), led by its chairman Gul Nawaz Afridi, and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Junaid Altaf here on Friday.

The delegation included former SCCI president and patron-in-chief of KPPDCA Eng Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz, former chairman Abdul Majid, general secretary Behzad Rehman, secretary Khalid Khan, and other pump owners and dealers.

SCCI senior vice-president Mohammad Nadeem, vice-president Sabir Ahmad Bangash and secretary general Muqtasid Ahsan also attended the meeting.

The dealers voiced concern over the delay in issuance of Form-K despite the grant of no-objection certificates, and called upon the relevant authorities to resolve the issue without delay.

They also condemned what they termed the “illegal actions” of the district administrations, labour department, and other relevant authorities, alleging that excessive powers had been given to officials, resulting in harassment, extortion, and heavy fines on various pretexts.

The dealers demanded policy and regulatory reforms to create a business-friendly environment for the petroleum sector.

Highlighting the growing threat from illegal filling points, the dealers claimed that the number of so-called ‘Dabba’ filling stations had crossed 400 in Peshawar alone, causing huge financial losses to them.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2025