Petroleum dealers on Wednesday refused to sell petrol under the government's newly launched Rs100-per-litre relief scheme for motorcyclists, rickshaw owners and drivers of vehicles up to 800cc, citing concerns over its implementation mechanism and financial burden.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association (PPDA) Vice Chairman Anwar Kamal said the dealers were not consulted while preparing the scheme, making the current mechanism difficult to implement. "We have reservations about the mechanism of the relief scheme," he added. Kamal said that relief should be provided to consumers directly through an easy and straightforward mechanism, adding that dealers' capital was already affected by inflation while billions of rupees owed by oil marketing companies were pending.

The association also demanded an increase in dealers' margins and questioned how the government would pay dealers the amount for cheaper petrol. Kamal reiterated that dealers would not sell petrol under the government's relief scheme in its current form, noting that they had contacted authorities for the past three days without receiving any response.

The federal government had recently launched the special relief scheme providing a Rs100 per litre discount on petrol for two- and three-wheelers and small vehicles up to 800cc to cushion the public from rising global fuel prices. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had earlier chaired a meeting to review administrative arrangements, directing authorities to ensure simple registration and smooth countrywide implementation.