Fuel dealers urge consumers to avoid panic buying in Pakistan
Petrol shortage in Pakistan today has been raised by reports of a possible run-dry, but dealers say petrol and diesel remain available, though pump queues are causing local gaps.
PPDA chairman Malik Khuda Baksh said petrol and diesel remain available and the situation is under control.
Dealers urged consumers not to queue or buy in excess, saying pump queues have created artificial shortages in some areas.
Reports that the country could run dry in the coming days were circulating; the chairman recalled a similar scare in October 2001.
Refineries are operating, and crude oil and products are being imported from Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Fuel levy talks between Jamaat-i-Islami and the government remain inconclusive, and a technical committee is due to meet within two to three days.