ISLAMABAD: Shortage of petroleum products (POL) was witnessed on Wednesday in major parts of the country due to limited supplies of fuel to retail outlets by Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs). All Pakistan Petroleum Retailers Association (APPRA) on Tuesday demanded a thorough probe into what it called “nationwide fuel shortage” and asked the authorities concerned to fix the responsibility. “All the oil companies, except PSO (Pakistan State Oil), delayed import of petroleum products and violated the rules regarding maintaining the stocks which has resulted in the scarcity of petrol, diesel, and other products across the country,” the association observed during a Zoom web meeting. At present, oil marketing companies have halted supplies to petrol pumps while some filling stations are receiving reduced supplies, which are insufficient to satisfy the demand from consumers,” he said. He stressed that petroleum products should be imported immediately and companies should be forced to abide by rules and regulations. Petroleum dealers had suffered immensely during the lockdown and now fuel scarcity was denting their business, he remarked. Soon after the government announced cut in the rates of POL products, the gasoline ‘shortage’ started at more than 100 filling stations across the district. A number of people were seen moving from one petrol pump to the other for getting fuel.