‘Everyone believed the rumours’: Omar Abdullah warns of petrol pump closures amid panic queues

New Delhi: jammu and kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah Thursday warned against panic buying of fuel, warning that petrol pumps could be closed for days if people continued to crowd gas stations based on rumors.Responding to reports of long queues at petrol stations, Abdullah said there was no shortage of petrol, diesel or LPG in the federal territory and urged residents to avoid “camping outside petrol stations”.“I sincerely ask you to stop unnecessary queues, otherwise I will be forced to close all gas stations in the next few days,” he said, expressing concern about panic caused by what he said were rumors.The Chief Minister said a recent government review had confirmed that fuel and cooking gas were sufficient and the situation had not changed. “It’s sad that when the government speaks out, no one listens but everyone believes the rumors,” he added.Abdullah also clarified that there were no directives to limit fuel use and called on the public to rely on official communications rather than unverified social media posts.He said he will participate in a virtual meeting of chief ministers convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday to review preparedness for the current situation in the Middle East.Authorities urged citizens to maintain normal consumption patterns and warned that panic buying itself could disrupt supply chains despite ample stocks.