The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association called off its nationwide petrol stations closure strike on Friday, the group’s chairman said.

“Today’s strike was highly successful, but our workers faced intimidation and threats,” Abdul Sami Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA), said at a press conference in Karachi.

The announcement comes after several petrol pumps were closed in Karachi and Peshawar over the strike call against the government’s implementation of a 0.5% advance turnover tax on petroleum products. The association argued that the tax would place a significant burden on their businesses and has demanded its withdrawal.

The deadlock in negotiations prompted the association to call for a nationwide strike, with petrol pumps across the country closing their doors. While the strike was not observed in Islamabad due to the recent passing of the association’s vice president in Punjab, the association has confirmed that all petrol pumps across the country would remain closed until further notice.

The strike led to long queues at petrol stations across the country as motorists scrambled to fill their tanks before the pumps closed.

On Thursday, the Petroleum Division and the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority assured the people that the country had a sufficient supply of petroleum products. OGRA spokesperson Imran Ghaznavi stated that all oil marketing companies have been instructed to ensure adequate supply to petrol stations and keep them open.

According to Sami, the strike was called off due to tourists who were facing problems “Tourists are facing major difficulties at the moment, and the association is now calling off the strike,” he said.

While acknowledging the challenges, he said the strike was not an easy decision, as the entire state and government were allegedly against it.

“This strike was not easy, the entire state and government were opposed to it,” he said and clarified that they have not backed down from their demands and would continue to pursue them.