Petroleum dealers postpone planned strike as govt approves margin revision

The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers' Association (PPDA) has abandoned its planned strike for Saturday after the government approved an increase in petrol and diesel dealer margins. The finance ministry confirmed the revision, though the exact amount was not disclosed. The Economic Coordination Committee had previously discussed the matter, and the PPDA announced the margin would be raised by Rs1.34 per litre, raising the total margin to Rs10 per litre.

This marks a deviation from the PPDA's earlier demand for an eight percent increase, with the current margin at Rs8.64 per litre. The PPDA chair, Bakhsh, made this announcement at a press conference in Karachi, also hinting at potential revisions of fuel prices every 7 or 15 days instead of daily. The government had previously rejected the dealer's demand for monthly price fixing, opting to maintain daily price-fixing.

The PPDA warned that they would continue protesting until all their demands were met, with their vice chairman Tariq Hassan noting that approximately $50 million in outstanding payments from the government to petroleum dealers had not been addressed in three years.