The Pakistan Oil Tankers and Contractors Association has announced that a 72-hour ultimatum issued to the government has prompted a response, with Federal Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik contacting the association and inviting its leadership for talks on Monday, July 27.
Association President Abidullah Afridi said the upcoming meeting with the petroleum minister would determine whether the planned protest is called off or escalated. He said the association would announce its decision after the meeting based on the government’s response to its demands.
The association said it is demanding an increase in the White Oil Pipeline quota, an immediate end to commercial loading, and a revision in oil tanker freight rates, arguing that transport charges have not been increased for the past three years.
Afridi said Motorway and National Highway Authority (NHA) toll taxes have increased by around 180 percent, and freight rates should be revised accordingly to reflect the higher operating costs.
The association claimed it had been engaged in negotiations and correspondence with the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the Petroleum Division for the past one and a half years but was left with no option other than issuing a strike warning.
It warned that if the government fails to accept its demands, oil tanker owners will announce their future course of action, including a nationwide wheel-jam strike that could disrupt the transportation of petroleum products across Pakistan.
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