The All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association (APPPOA) on Wednesday postponed its planned nationwide shutdown for two weeks after successful negotiations with Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, who pledged to address the dealers’ long-standing concerns.

The government introduced a daily fuel price review mechanism last week after renewed tensions in the Middle East triggered volatility in global oil markets. Under the new policy, authorities calculate fuel prices using a seven-day average of international market rates to align Pakistan’s pricing system with global standards.

A day earlier, the association met the petroleum minister and demanded a higher profit margin for dealers along with the withdrawal of the daily fuel pricing mechanism. The talks ended without an agreement, prompting APPPOA to announce a nationwide shutdown from Tuesday night.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the minister, APPPOA Secretary Nadeem Khan said the association withdrew its strike call because of the worsening regional situation and the hardship a shutdown could cause the public.

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“We reconsidered our decision because of the regional crisis and the difficulties people are already facing,” Khan said.

He added that the minister had assured the association that the government would review dealers’ profit margins, a demand that has remained unresolved since 2022. Khan said both sides also signed a written agreement to formalise the commitment.

“We have complete confidence in Ali Pervaiz Sahib and hope our commission-related issue will finally be resolved,” he said.

Khan also said the government agreed to continue the daily fuel pricing mechanism on a trial basis for two weeks before reviewing its effectiveness and its impact on consumers.

He said authorities would evaluate whether the policy creates unnecessary difficulties for the public before deciding whether to continue or revise it.

Based on these assurances, the association decided to postpone its nationwide shutdown to avoid disrupting fuel supplies and creating inconvenience for motorists. Khan expressed confidence that the government would resolve the outstanding issues during the review period.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik acknowledged the challenges facing both consumers and petrol pump dealers because of rising global oil prices.

He thanked petrol pump owners, their association and oil marketing companies for supporting the government during a difficult period.

The minister said regional tensions had once again increased pressure on international oil prices.

“In this situation, we have decided to move forward transparently and fairly while addressing the concerns of all stakeholders,” Malik said.

He announced that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) would begin publishing a detailed Urdu-language breakdown of petroleum prices on its website to improve transparency.

Malik also said the government would hold detailed consultations with oil marketing companies, Ogra and the Explosives Department to resolve operational issues affecting petrol pump dealers.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to revising dealers’ profit margins and said officials would prepare a roadmap before submitting a summary to the federal cabinet.

“The ministry and the Ogra chairman are committed to resolving this long-pending issue within the next two weeks, and we hope to share positive news with dealers soon,” he said.

Malik added that if the issue remained unresolved after two weeks, the government would hold another round of talks with the association to reach a mutually acceptable solution.