Several gas stations in Pakistan's Punjab region ran out of petrol amid a severe economic crisis, impacting people's daily lives. The situation is terrible in remote locations where there haven't been any supplies for the pumps in more than a month, reported a Pakistan daily ‘The Dawn’.
Despite promises that there is an adequate supply and government threats to punish hoarders harshly, fuel shortage in Punjab remains.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has held all Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) responsible for failing to secure enough supplies in as per demand, leaving the pumps empty and leaving the drivers with no option but to go for petrol in cities, according to Dawn.
Rejecting the claims, the OMC Association of Pakistan (OMAP) stated that some gas stations were hoarding fuel and causing artificial shortages in order to boost sales and earn more profits in anticipation of the upcoming increase in gas prices.
The situation seems to be the worst in certain major cities, like Lahore, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad, where multiple gas stations are allegedly operating for days on a meagre or nonexistent supply of gasoline due to pressure from the OMCs.
Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association's secretary of information Khawaja Atif while talking to Dawn said, "In Lahore, around 70 of the total 450 pumps are dry. The areas where the pumps are closed due to shortage of petrol include Shahdra, Wagah, Litton Road, and Jain Mandar."
According to local media, petrol is severely in limited supply in various Pakistani cities. Most of the petrol stations are closed. There aren't many open and those that are open only sell a little amount of gasoline. At these gas stations, there are long queues of cars and bikes.
It is to be noted that a staggering economic crisis has put Pakistan's oil companies on the verge of collapse.