Govt Directs OMCs to Keep Petrol Pumps Open Tomorrow

The Petroleum Division and Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) late on Thursday directed all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to ensure adequate supplies of petroleum products at petrol pumps and to keep them open tomorrow (Friday). The directive came ahead of the planned nationwide strike on July 5 (Friday), announced by the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA). The joint statement issued by the Petroleum Division and OGRA also said that there is sufficient availability of petroleum products in the country. PPDA chairman Abdul Sami Khan earlier said that more than 13,000 petrol stations across the country would be closed from 6 am onward (on July 5) and warned that the strike could continue over the following days unless the demands were met by the government. The PPDA is protesting against the turnover tax imposed through the Finance Act 2024-25.