Daily Times

Following a reduction in supplies by oil marketing companies, long lines of two-wheelers and cars have been seen at filling stations in the majority of the Punjab province.

Due to the lack of gasoline, several pumps in a number of cities, including Kharian, Sargodha, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Narowal, Okara, and Shakargarh, have also been forced to close, while the oil filling stations have drawn large crowds of drivers and riders. Panicked people flocked to gas stations on Tuesday as the media reported a petrol shortage.

The widespread rumors of an additional increase in petroleum products are another reason behind the shortage. Consumers want to have more oil for saving money while petrol pumps intend to earn more by creating an artificial shortage of fuel.

Petrol dealers insisted that the companies had cut down supplies of petroleum products to the province over long delays in the issuance of letters of credit by private banks for imports.

However, Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Musadik Malik refuted the news of the oil shortage and said that the country has petrol quantity for the next 20 days at least.

Earlier this month, parts of the country faced a similar situation, before the price hike, but despite the painful addition of Rs35 per liter, the basic commodity is still short.

The sources claimed that only a few fuel stations are offering petrol in several cities including Lahore, Sargodha, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Multan, Bahawalpur, Sialkot, and Faisalabad.

The majority of the gas stations on the Multan and Ferozepur Roads have been closed, according to motorcycle rider Ahmad Awais.

People in distress from different cities lamented the lack of fuel, while others shared the agony of having to wait for hours to get gasoline.

Numerous reports suggest that panic buying occurred at gas stations as a result of the limited stock levels at several pumps, which had already stopped sales.