KARACHI: All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association (APOTOA) on Wednesday has announced to end strike after successful negotiations with Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). The authorities have assured to resolve the matter in 15 days whereas a committee will also be formed for this purpose. The supply would be restored in 10 to 12 hours as the tankers will start moving following the directives of the representatives.
On the other hand, several cities including Karachi and Quetta are facing dearth of petroleum due to the strike. Only few are providing the fuel with observing long queues. The public transports are also in short number on the roads. Petrol stations in the Punjab city of Multan had mostly run out of fuel, while in Peshawar and other cities rationing petrol purchases were limited to 1,000 rupees per car and 100 rupees per motorbike.
Earlier, talks between APOTOA and Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) failed after which the strike was decided to continue until demands are met. Spokesperson for the OGRA Imran Ghaznavi said that the government would not be ‘blackmailed’ at hands of the association. The authorities clearly said that they will supply petrol to the stations through trains and NLC if tankers owners will not call off their strike. OGRA and authorities concerned had tightened noose around oil companies and the association of oil tankers after Ahmedpur East tragedy in Bahawalpur last month that claimed at least 200 lives.
