Talks between petroleum dealers and the government have broken down. The government is refusing to reverse its decision on setting fuel prices daily, and the petroleum minister could not convince the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) to call off its planned strike.
Five Hours of Talks, No Result
A PPDA delegation met with officials from the Ministry of Petroleum on 12 August. The meeting ran for five hours. The petroleum minister also voiced anger over the 72-hour ultimatum the dealers had given the government.
Government’s Offer
During the talks, the government offered dealers a margin increase of Rs 1.34 per litre. But there’s a catch: sources say this increase still needs approval from the federal cabinet before it can go through.
Dealers Head Back to Karachi
With the talks going nowhere, the petroleum dealers have decided to return to Karachi today, sources say. The delegation that took part in the talks included:
- Chairman Malik Khuda Baksh
- Vice Chairman Tariq Hassan
- Vice Chairman Anwar Kamal
- Sindh President Amir Khan
- Deputy Chairman (Punjab) Raja Waseem
- Chaudhry Bahar
- Khawaja Kashif Elahi
- Abdul Majeed Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)
- Strike Still On, Says PPDA
The dealers have called an emergency meeting of their executive committee in Karachi. According to the PPDA, dealers are still sticking to their plan to strike on Saturday morning.
