ISLAMABAD : Feb 8,2023: Pakistanis are facing yet another serious petrol crises as majority of the pump owners in Punjab, in particular, and in other parts of the country, in general, are not selling fuel to the commuters .
According to media reports , majority of petrol pump owners in Punjab are denying sale of petrol to the commuters which has created its artificial shortage in almost all major cities of Pakistan’s largest province.
The artificial petrol shortage has created panic among the commuters in the Punjab, media claimed in its reports on Wednesday.
Petrol shortage has resurged in Punjab and other provinces with a gap of less than two weeks.
Ahead of official announcement for upward revision in the rates just 10 days ago, In the last week of January , petrol pump owners had hoarded petrol and created its artificial crisis in the country .
Instead taking punitive action against petrol pump owners who had created artificial shortage of the fuel and to establish writ of the government, Finance minister Ishaq Dar, had announced increase in the rates of all petroleum products two days in advance.
As per routine , the government makes adjustments in petroleum product prices on fortnightly basis and the official announcements are made on 15th and last day of each month, but Ishaq Dar violated these rules and passed on massive increase in the prices of petroleum products on January 27 last. Ishaq Dar’s unlawful rather cunning action gave benefit of billions of rupee to the oil mafia.
Mr Dar’s had not made any clarification on his pro oil mafia action that resulted in undue benefits of billions of rupee to the petrol pump owners.
Just with a gap of less then two weeks , the same petrol pumps mafia has created artificial shortage of the fuel.
It seems that the petrol pump owners’ mafia is not in a mood to pay attention to the government advice to the Punjab authorities to check stocks of petrol in the market and make sure that its supply does not suffer any problem in any part of the province.
Meanwhile, Energy minister , Mussadik Malik , has warned the petrol mafia not to indulge in illegal practice of creating artificial shortage of petrol as any such act can push the hoarders into to a serious trouble.
The closure of petrol pumps in many parts of Pakistan clearly shows that petrol pump owners do not care about any kind of the government’s warning.