Oil marketing companies across Pakistan expanded their fuel retail forecourts during 1QFY27, commissioning dozens of new petrol pumps despite national targets aimed at electric vehicle adoption. Market leader Pakistan State Oil completed 37 new retail sites during the three-month period, lifting its nationwide network to 3,727 stations, the largest footprint in the country.

Wafi Energy Pakistan Ltd added 54 new Shell retail sites and nine electric vehicle charging locations during the first nine months ending Sept 30. The sustained commercial buildout indicates that forecourt operators continue betting on rising petrol demand over official electrification goals.

Under the Auto Policy 2026-31, the government aims to make 30 per cent of all new vehicles electric by 2030. Yet distributors on the ground are responding to daily road traffic anchored by petrol-powered two-wheelers and 660-1,000cc cars, which remain the primary mobility choice for consumers navigating weak public transit networks.

Attock Petroleum commissioned five new retail outlets during the quarter while decommissioning six underperforming locations under a network optimisation programme. Its operational network counted 816 stations on September 30, including 46 company-owned, company-operated sites.

Private distributors are chasing traffic along newly built highways, bypasses and motorways linking northern transit points. Forty-eight licensed distributors maintain active operations across the country out of 50 permits issued by regulators. Forecourt operators focus investments on high-throughput intercity arteries where commercial vehicle flow guarantees daily volume.

Commuters rely on personal two-wheelers because metropolitan transit systems remain patchy and overburdened. When petrol prices fluctuate following international supply shocks, consumers turn to smaller displacement engines rather than abandoning combustion models entirely.

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