3 minutes of readingMarch 8, 2026 06:33 pm IST
One man was killed and two others were seriously injured after customers opened fire at a gasoline pump in Pakistan’s Punjab province following a dispute amid panic buying of fuel sparked by fears of shortages due to the conflict between the United States and Iran, police said Sunday.
The incident occurred on Saturday in Sialkot, about 100 kilometers from Lahore, when an altercation broke out between customers and workers at a filling station on Daska Road, police said.
According to police, long queues of motorists had formed at the petrol pump as concerns grew over oil supplies following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.
Two men who arrived in a car had their vehicle filled with gasoline and then asked the gas station worker to fill fuel into a couple of cans they had with them.
The station worker refused, saying that government policy does not allow filling fuel cans.
“This led to an altercation between the service station staff and the passengers of the car,” police officer Dost Muhammad said.
The drivers drove off, threatening them with dire consequences, he said.
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“An hour later, the drivers returned with automatic weapons, attacked the service station staff and opened fire on them, leaving three workers seriously injured,” Muhammad said.
“One of the injured, identified as Muhammad Sibtain, 25, succumbed to his injuries in hospital, while the condition of the other two remains critical,” he said.
The main suspect, Khawaja Munib, has been arrested. A case of murder and attempt to murder has been registered against him and four of his accomplices, police said.
Meanwhile, panic buying of petrol and diesel has been reported in some parts of Pakistan after authorities announced a sharp increase of PKR 55 per liter in fuel prices on Friday.
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Several petrol pump owners in Punjab temporarily closed their outlets ahead of the price hike, causing long queues and panic among motorists.
Rising oil prices, attributed to the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran and the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, are expected to drive up commodity prices and transportation costs across the country.
“20 per cent rise in oil prices means 20 to 25 per cent rise in prices of raw materials, essential items, tariffs, materials and transportation. It means an additional and sudden burden on consumers,” said businessman Farooq Yousuf Sheikh.
