The All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association on Friday rejected the government’s proposed petroleum price deregulation policy, warning that it could consider protests and a nationwide strike next week if the decision is not withdrawn.

In a video statement, Association Chairman Nauman Ali Butt urged the government to review the policy, saying petrol pump owners had serious reservations over the proposed changes.

He said nearly 15,000 petrol pump owners across the country were concerned that the new pricing mechanism would disrupt the petroleum supply chain, including oil transportation and the existing system for determining fuel prices.

Butt said the burden of the new policy should not be shifted onto petrol pump owners and called on the government to consult all stakeholders before finalising fuel prices in coordination with oil marketing companies (OMCs).

He urged the government to avoid unilateral decisions and engage petrol pump owners in consultations before implementing any changes to the pricing mechanism.

JI slams daily fuel pricing

Separately, Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman criticised the government’s decision to determine petroleum prices on a daily basis, saying the move would place an additional financial burden on consumers.

In a statement, he said daily revisions in petroleum prices would effectively translate into daily increases in the cost of living for the public.

He urged the government to reduce taxes on petroleum products instead of introducing a new pricing mechanism, claiming that nearly Rs120 per litre in taxes had become a major burden for consumers.

Hafiz Naeem also questioned the petroleum levy, saying it was unrelated to the actual price of fuel and calling on the government to end what he described as excessive collections under the levy.