At the centre of the catastrophic economic crisis, the majority of petrol pumps in the Punjab province of Pakistan ran out of petrol massively affecting the routine life of the people.
The leading global news agencies reported that where there are no supplies for the pump for more than a month now, the situation is spiralling out terribly.
The lack of gasoline in Punjab remains a point of aggressive concern despite assurances coming about its adequate supply and government threats to take harsh calls against the hoarders.
Whereas, on the other side, the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has blamed all Oil marketing companies (OMCs) for failing to ensure appropriate supplies in response to demand, leaving the pumps empty and forcing drivers to go for gas in urban areas, according to Dawn.
The country’s apex body OMC Association of Pakistan, which rejected the claim had gone on to state that some gas stations were participating in stockpiling gasoline and creating a hoax of fake shortages in order to amp up their earnings in light of the anticipated hike in gasoline prices.
As per the reports, amid severe fuel shortages due to the poor economy, several petrol pumps in major and small cities of Punjab have been closed.
The scenario appears to be extremely deteriorating in certain large towns, which include Lahore, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad, where a huge number of petrol pumps have reportedly been running on a poor or non-existent supply of petrol for several days at a stretch due to the result of pressures coming in from the oil marketing companies.
In a conversation with a major global media house, Khwaja Atif the Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association's secretary of information 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."
While as per the local Pakistani media, petrol is limited in supply in several cities of Pakistan. The majority of the gas stations are shut. Few are open, and those that only offer a little quantity of gasoline. At these gas stations, there are long lines of cars and bikes.
Moreover, it is pertinent to mention here that the oil companies of Pakistan are on the verge of getting collapse due to the ongoing economic crisis and the devaluation of the Pakistani Rupee.