KARACHI (March 13, 2026) — The wheels of the country may soon grind to a halt as the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has declared a massive, indefinite nationwide shutdown of petrol pumps starting March 27.
The announcement comes after failed negotiations regarding dealer profit margins, signaling a deepening rift between the government, oil companies, and local retailers.
In a high-stakes press conference held on Friday, PPDA leaders Abdul Sami Khan, Amir Khan Mahsud, and Tariq Hassan laid out a grim reality for the energy sector. The association warned that if their demands for a margin increase are not met immediately, they will pull the plug on fuel supplies as early as the night of March 26.
Amir Khan Mahsud, President of the Petroleum Dealers Association Sindh, was blunt about the situation:
“We cannot continue to operate a business that only yields losses. If our margins aren’t adjusted, the pumps go dark.”
Profits for Some, Peanuts for Others
The leadership accused the government of playing favorites, alleging that recent price hikes were engineered to provide billions in windfall profits to Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) while completely ignoring the rising operational costs faced by individual dealers.
Abdul Sami Khan took a harder line, suggesting that the era of quiet diplomacy has passed. “The time for polite conversation with the government is over,” he stated. “We are moving toward active resistance. The constant rise in petroleum levies and prices has pushed both the public and the dealers to a breaking point.”
A Growing Crisis: Dry Pumps and “Capping”
The crisis isn’t just a future threat—it’s already beginning to bite. The association revealed that OMCs have started “capping” fuel deliveries. This artificial restriction on supply has left many dealers unable to procure petrol and diesel, causing several stations across the country to run dry and shut down prematurely.
The Looming Shadow of a Price Hike
Adding fuel to the fire, Mahsud expressed fears that the government might announce another massive price hike of up to Rs. 50 per liter as early as tonight. Such a move, the association warns, would not only crush the consumer but also exacerbate the current supply crisis, making the March 27 shutdown almost inevitable.
