The All Pakistan Oil Tanker Association (APOTA) has announced to end their strike and stated that supply of oil and petrol will be started by 4 pm today.
While talking to media APOTA officials stated that government has accepted their rightful demands.
"Government has promised to solve all issues of drivers and oil tanker association," they said.
Earlier, Federal Railway Minister Saad Rafique offered that Pakistan Railway can assist OGRA in supplying petrol across the country after which the oil tanker owners have ended their strike on third day today.
“We can start supply of petrol in all provinces through train as we have serious concerns on the shortage of petrol in the country,” Rafique said.
پاک ریلویزڈیزل کے ساتھ ساتھ پٹرول سپلاٸ کے لیے پوری طرح تیار ھے
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) July 25, 2017
While talking to Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqaab Abbasi on telephone, Rafique further said we cannot support strike culture.
پٹرول کی سپلاٸ میں تعطل ملکی معیشت اور معمولات زندگی کے لیے نقصان دہ ھے- پاکستان ریلویز مناپلی توڑنے کے لیے اپنا کردار ادا کرے گی
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) July 25, 2017
He assured Abbasi that Pakistan Railway will not over charge.
“We have extra engines and cargo bogies for this purpose,” Rafique told Abbasi.
وزیرریلویز کی GM ریلویزکوMD pso سےفوری رابطےکی ھدایت- پاک ریلویز ریلوےٹریک کے ساتھ پٹرول کی سپلاٸ یقینی بنانے کیلئے pso سے بھرپور تعاون کرے
— Khawaja Saad Rafique (@KhSaad_Rafique) July 25, 2017
After failure in negotiations with the government yesterday, the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Association had announced that their strike would continue until their demands are met as many cities faced with petrol shortage.
“Our talks with the government have failed and the strike will continue”, said All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owner Association Chairman Yousuf Shahwani earlier while talking to media here.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources convened the meeting of the representatives of All Pakistan Oil Tankers Association, All Pakistan Carriage Contractors Association, All Marketing Companies (OMCs) aimed to pursue the oil tanker association to call off their strike. The meeting was presided over by Secretary Petroleum and was attended by Chairperson OGRA and representatives of Oil Tankers and OMCs. Meanwhile, the OGRA also accused OMC of playing behind the scene and supporting the oil tanker strike.
The APOTOA and APCCA on last Monday had also announced countrywide strike to protest the implementation of 2009 safety rules imposed by the OGRA.
The OGRA had initiated checking of the tankers being used by oil marketing companies to reduce the frequent accidents. According to OGRA, around 40 per cent of oil tankers are substandard and do not fulfil the criteria.
After the inconclusive meeting, the rude representatives of the oil tankers associations chanted anti-motorway police, anti-NHA and anti-OGRA slogans and refused to comply with OGRAs regulations regarding the use of substandard vehicles for transportation of fuel.
Oil stock reserves:
Pakistan has 10-11 days of oil stock reserves, but many service stations were shuttered with "Petrol Finished" signs after panic buying overnight in a nation of nearly 200 million people.
The tanker owners were protesting police corruption and a government move to improve safety following a fuel tanker disaster last month, when a tanker explosion killed more than 200 people in one of the worst accidents in coutry's history.
"It is better to fill the tank," said Waseem Sheikh, one of hundreds of people waiting at a Shell petrol station in capital Islamabad. "I don't want to face a hard time just because I don't have fuel in my car."
Shamas Shiwani, Vice Chairman All Pakistan Tankers Association, told that the motorway, traffic and excise police always demand bribes so a "tanker driver has to pay so much in extortion that he hardly manages to keep his clothes".
A new safety push by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) following the tanker explosion in Punjab last month has made matters worse, Shiwani added.
Government officials say safety has to improve in a country where many trucks are not road worthy and pose a danger to the public.
