Strike from tomorrow: Govt-PPDA talks stay inconclusive

Pakistan's petrol dealers left talks with the federal government on Thursday with no deal on their outstanding grievances, according to Business Recorder. The Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) said it still intends to close petrol stations on Saturday morning.

A delegation led by PPDA chairman Malik Khuda Bakhsh met Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and ministry officials in Islamabad for nearly five hours. Dealers said the minister had earlier promised to resolve their complaints within 15 days, yet the government refused to alter the daily revisions in petroleum product prices. The government did, however, give an assurance that a Rs1.34 per litre rise in dealer margins would be considered, pending cabinet approval.

The 72-hour ultimatum issued by dealers also came up, and the minister reportedly expressed displeasure with it, according to the PPDA. Following the meeting, the delegation is heading back to Karachi to hold an urgent session of its executive committee and decide the next move. Malik Khuda Bakhsh said the association will not back away from a Saturday morning strike, with fuel retailers expected to close their businesses.