rewrite this title with different wordingPSO Pumps Open Despite Nationwide Strike by PPDA

Following the countrywide PPDA strike call, PSO pumps are open. The company has told the media that its petrol pumps will be operational as usual.

Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) has announced a nationwide strike starting at 6 a.m. today to protest the imposition of a new deadly tax on petrol pump dealers. The Chairman of PPDA told Dawn in an interview that 13,000 petrol pumps across the country would remain closed until the dealer’s demands are met.

PSO Defies PPDA Strike, Pumps Open

Amidst the nationwide petrol pump strike, PSO has confirmed that its supply chain is fully operational and that all of its pumps are operating as usual. In an interview with ARY News, a spokesperson for the PSO said, “Continuous supply of petrol at pumps is being ensured.”

Earlier this month, the government imposed a new 0.5% Advance Income Tax on petrol pump dealers. The chairman of PPDA,  Abdul Sami Khan, told the media that the government should take back the regulatory tax as we’re already paying multiple huge taxes to the government.

Government Talks With PPDA

After the strike call, the Government held talks with PPDA after today’s strike, but the deadlock persists between both parties. Sources indicate that the government is prepared to reduce the tax to 0.2%, but PPDA leader Khan insists on its complete abolition.

Abdul Sami Khan expressed his frustration to the media at the lack of support and cooperation despite extensive discussions with government representatives.  He told the media that representatives were not ready to call off the strike, “They asked us to call off the strike and assured us of resolving the issue, but we cannot delay our action based on mere assurances,”  Khan stated.

However, the strike was not observed in Islamabad due to the death of the vice president of PPDA, but the rest of the country’s petrol pumps are on strike today, except PSO.