Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and much of the rest of the country remained without petrol on Thursday as well, as the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) oil tanker containing the much-awaited 40,000 tonnes of fuel was likely to dock at Port Qasim at 2am on Friday, but the resumption of proper fuel supply will only be ensured from Sunday onwards because the oil has to be pumped from the ship and cleared for distribution after laboratory tests.
Filling stations of private companies such as Shell and Caltex will also start functioning after getting their share of the oil from PSO. The situation worsened on Thursday as petrol stations in interior Sindh also dried up after supply from Karachi was suspended. Many of the filling stations on Super Highway and National Highway were closed because of unavailability of petrol, but diesel was available at petrol stations on the highways.
Karachi was also hit by massive power outages because power companies had no fuel to burn in their furnaces. Most petrol stations were also closed in Lahore and Islamabad because of lack of petrol. Only PSO filling stations remained functional intermittently throughout the day, providing strictly rationed petrol to automobiles and motorcycles. Illegal oil distributors were also seen selling petrol in small shops, grossly overcharging desperate consumers at Rs 100 per litre. The petrol shortage has also hit industrial production. The burden on public transport increased manifold because of the sudden increase in commuters who could not use their own vehicles owing to the unavailability of petrol.
Private transporters also took advantage of the shortage, charging passengers exorbitant rates. The availability of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), however, cushioned the blow a little and kept complete dysfunction at bay. PSO officials told Pakistan Today that it would take 14 hours for the oil to be pumped out of the tanker, after which the vessels would be suctioned and cleaned, which would take another three hours. They said the next step would be the settlement and measurement of the petrol and the process would be completed in four hours. Laboratory testing before approval for distribution would take 5 to 8 hours, they added.
