Pakistan: Industrial and export supply chains face disruption due to goods, oil transporters strike

Islamabad, Aug 9 (IANS) Industrial and export supply chains faced disruption in Pakistan as the goods transporters and oil tankers launched a nationwide strike, with operators pledging to continue the protest until the group’s leadership holds talks with the government on Monday, local media reported on Monday.

Pakistan Goods Transporters Alliance chairman Nisar Hussain Jafry said that their strike across the nation will continue “as our leadership intends to meet the ministers concerned with petroleum, transport and ports on Monday,” Pakistan-based daily Dawn reported.

He said the movement of over 400,000 goods-carrying vehicles had been suspended from Saturday until the meeting with the authorities on Monday. Jafry said goods transporters were holding a nationwide strike over several issues, including the government’s recently implemented daily fuel price mechanism.

Jafry demanded restoration of the monthly fuel price mechanism and reduction of withholding tax on transporters from seven per cent to two per cent, stressing that oil carriers were paying two per cent withholding tax on services.

Pakistan government on Friday reduced the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 2.20 and PKR 1.50 per litre, respectively. The revised prices of fuel will remain in effect until Monday. After the latest revision, the price of petrol stood at PKR 327.62 per litre while HSD price reached PKR 380.86 per litre, Pakistan-based another daily, Business Recorder reported.

On July 17, Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Information Minister Atta Tarar announced that the fuel prices will be revised on a daily basis amid volatility in global oil prices after renewed hostilities in West Asia, adding that the changing rates would be published by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) on its website, Dawn reported. He stated that the Ogra would decide the price of fuel on a regular basis based on international market trends.

Since early March, Pakistan government has been deciding fuel prices on a weekly basis.

–IANS

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