QUETTA: A severe shortage of petrol and diesel has hit multiple cities across Balochistan following the closure of the Iranian border and the subsequent halt of fuel supply.
Consequently, prices have skyrocketed, with a single liter of petrol selling for PKR 600 to PKR 800 in several areas, leaving both the business community and ordinary citizens struggling to find fuel.
Even at mini-petrol pumps in the border town of Chaman, prices have hit PKR 600 per liter, compounding the public’s misery.
Reacting to the crisis, Rahib Khan Buledi Advocate, a member and former Vice Chairman of the Balochistan Bar Council, strongly condemned the situation.
In a statement, he termed the province-wide fuel shortage a glaring example of the current government’s incompetence and mismanagement.
He noted that with petrol prices touching PKR 800 per liter in remote areas outside Quetta, fares for rickshaws, goods transport, and public transit have risen substantially.
Furthermore, citizens are unable to secure fuel despite waiting for hours in long queues at filling stations.
Buledi added that the border closure has severely impacted the local economy and regular citizens, triggering a sharp rise in unemployment and poverty.
Critiquing the administration, he stated that corruption and lawlessness have reached an all-time high, proving that the current government has completely failed to address public grievances.
Balochistan relies heavily on informal trade with neighboring Iran, with smuggled Iranian petroleum products serving as the economic lifeline for millions in the province.
Due to the vast geography and limited supply infrastructure from central Pakistan, local businesses, transport networks, and households depend almost entirely on this affordable border fuel.
The sudden closure of the border has disrupted this fragile supply chain, exposing the province’s economic vulnerability and the absence of state-backed fuel alternatives.
Analysts warn that prolonged border trade suspensions could trigger a severe humanitarian and economic crisis, further driving up inflation and paralyzing local commerce across southwestern Pakistan.
He demanded that the authorities take immediate notice of the fuel crisis and restore the supply of petrol and diesel across Quetta and the rest of Balochistan.
