Islamabad, Aug 7 (IANS) The Pakistan Mini Mazda Association and the All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association have announced a wheel-jam strike across the nation from August 8 against the government's daily pricing mechanism for fuel, excessive fines and several issues that impact the transport sector, warning that the strike would severely affect the movement of imports and exports, local media reported on Friday.

While addressing a press conference, Pakistan Mini Mazda Association Central President Tanveer Jatt urged the government to address concerns of transporters before the strike, as the planned strike would disrupt freight movement across the country. He urged the government to revise fuel prices on a monthly basis instead of a daily basis and provide relief to transporters from toll taxes and "unjust fines," Pakistan-based daily The Express Tribune reported.

All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association President Chaudhry Owais Gujjar said that axle-load limits should be enforced as per the law and mentioned rampant corruption in the enforcement process. He said that transporters paid billions of rupees each year in toll taxes while receiving little in return and termed dilapidated roads as a major cause of traffic accidents, The Express Tribune reported.

The transporters announced the wheel-jam strike as the Pakistan government has implemented a daily pricing mechanism for fuel amid volatility in global oil prices after renewed hostilities in West Asia.

On Thursday, the Pakistan government said that the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) have been reduced by Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 3.19 and PKR 1.50 per litre, respectively. The Petroleum Division said that the new prices will remain in effect for Friday (August 7), Pakistan-based another daily, Dawn, reported.

After the latest revision, petrol in Pakistan will be sold at PKR 329.82 per litre while the HSD will cost PKR 382.36 per litre. The Pakistan government has imposed PKR 110 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol, while PKR 96 per litre has been imposed on HSD, Dawn 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. He stated that the Ogra would decide the price of fuel on a regular basis based on international market trends. Since early March, the Pakistan government has been deciding fuel prices on a weekly basis.

--IANS

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