PPDA vows consultation to resolve issues facing dealers

Business Recorder reported that Malik Khuda Bakhsh, chairman of the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA), said the body's leadership is focused on settling dealers' grievances. He added that members can voice their opinions freely and that the association continues to back the government's Fuel Relief Package. Khuda Bakhsh credited petroleum dealers with a significant role in implementing the package associated with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The government and PPDA reached a reimbursement agreement in September after dealers raised concerns about implementation, according to the report. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has assured the association that consultation with dealers will be sped up and made more effective. Khuda Bakhsh argued that agreement comes only through mutual talks and urged the government to honour its commitments to dealer leaders.

Khuda Bakhsh also said more incentives and facilities for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure could cut reliance on imported fuel, while solar power and EVs might help hold down petrol and power costs. Vice Chairman Malik Sher Khan stressed that dealers' problems cannot be overlooked indefinitely, given the sector supports thousands of entrepreneurs and millions of jobs. Another vice chairman, Anwar Kamal, pointed to rising costs, various charges and rent-related imbalances as making it harder to stay in business.