Due to a “restricted supply,” many gas stations across Punjab, including those in the provincial capital Lahore, are running out of fuel during the ongoing economic crisis.
Numerous people from various cities reported that there wasn’t any fuel in the gas stations, however there were long lines at the petrol pumps that only had a small amount of fuel.
The issue persisted as being the worst in crowded cities like Lahore, Gujranwala, and Faisalabad where there has been no or little gasoline supply at gas stations for a few days, ostensibly because of a limited supply from the oil marketing corporations.
In Gujranwala, 60–70% of the fuel stations lacked gasoline, and similar issues affected the populace in Okara, Sahiwal, and other Punjabi cities.
As customers had trouble purchasing the item, a number of trends started to emerge on the microblogging site Twitter, where users aired their frustration about the fuel shortage. Others noted that certain gas outlets had seen instances of panic buying.
Here is how they responded:
This is #Islamic Republic of #Pakistan !The only #Petrol pump where petrol is available. The others have petrol but they are closed as the speculations of increase of prices are coming .They want to earn double profit. Pathetic.
Do you really call yourself a Muslim or even human? pic.twitter.com/bm8zk5hdgr— Maryam Mahnoor (@maryammahnoor4) February 7, 2023
That’s because of the uncertainty around the country. Here in Mianwali, situation is under control.. I just came back from market. Pumps are providing petrol.
— Mian Farhan (@faay_meem) February 6, 2023
Musadik Malik, the minister of state for petroleum, denied reports of a fuel shortage in the midst of the crisis, claiming that there are enough supplies on hand to last for more than three weeks.
As a result of the cash-strapped nation’s decision to impose a general sale tax (GST) on petroleum products as an additional measure, it was previously reported that the federal government is likely to raise the price of gasoline and diesel by Rs30 per litre amid ongoing discussions with the IMF over a bailout package.
