Pakistan: Petroleum dealers warn of strike amid prices deregulation plan

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 22 (ANI): Petroleum dealers in Pakistan have allegedly threatened to close their doors due to government efforts to loosen price regulations on fuel goods, ARY News reported on Monday.

The chairman of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA), Abdul Sami Khan, denounced the anticipated action in a statement, claiming that it will lead to higher petroleum product pricing in distant locations.

The head of the PPDA claims that the country's inflation rate will soar as a result of the decision to deregulate fuel prices.

Khan stated that the government has pledged not to implement this legislation, despite years of opposition from the petroleum traders, ARY News reported.

The PPDA chairman, however, stated that in spite of the assurance, the government has requested suggestions about the proposed strategy from the ECC.

Abdul Sami Khan asserted that the administration was making this move in an effort to shield itself from public scrutiny.

A few days prior, the Oil Tankers Owners Association declared that gasoline supplies would be stopped as of April 16 in protest of what it described as a "injustice" assessment by the relevant authorities, according to ARY News.

The association said that it will stop providing petroleum products to all airports in the nation as well as to Gilgit Baltistan, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)