As a result of the approval of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), the margin that dealers make on gasoline and diesel has been increased by Rs1.34 per liter respectively.

In the course of an ECC meeting that was presided over by Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, who is the Minister of Finance, the decision was made.

As a result of the approval, the manufacturers’ profit margin on gasoline and diesel will go up from Rs8.64 to Rs9.98 per liter.

This action is being taken with the intention of addressing the concerns of petroleum dealers and increasing the practicality of operations at gas stations.

Nauman Butt, Vise Chairman of the All Pakistan Petroleum Pumps Owners Association, expressed his satisfaction with the decision and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Petroleum Minister for their approval of the hike.

— A statue of Pakistan’s founder Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah has been erected at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington D.C.

The statue was unveiled Friday at a ceremony at the embassy marking Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations, giving the occasion a historic and patriotic flavor.

The statue was unveiled by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheik, at the ceremony attended by members of the Pakistani-American community, diplomats and members of the media.

The statue was donated to the embassy by the Houston-based Quaid-i-Azam Foundation and will be permanently installed in the Pakistani Embassy in Washington.

The installation comes as Pakistan prepares to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah this year. Speaking at the occasion, Ambassador Sheik paid honor to the founder of Pakistan for his political fight and hard efforts for foundation of the country.

The Independence Day celebration began with the hoisting of the Pakistani flag followed by the national song and recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. Messages of the president, prime minister and deputy prime minister on the occasion of Independence Day were also read out.

Addressing the gathering, Ambassador Sheik said Pakistan continued to be essential to the United States in the regional and global context.

In his Independence Day speech to Pakistan, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke of bilateral collaboration. Areas of collaboration are: regional mediation, key minerals, energy, counter-terrorism, cultural heritage, trade and investment.

Pakistan’s attempts toward regional mediation have also become important in the wake of continued tensions between the United States and Iran. Pakistan has sought to leverage its contacts with both Washington and Tehran to foster discussion and aid in defusing tensions.

There was also a particular honor at the event. Pakistani-American community leader and cultural ambassador Waqar Ali Khan was given President’s Medal for Pride of Performance for his decades-long services.

 – President of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance, Malik Shahzad Awan, has said that the peaceful strike of goods transporters across the country has entered the eighth day, however, the path to negotiations with the government is open.

Malik Shahzad Awan said that important talks will be held on Sunday (today) at Governor House Karachi with representatives of the federal and provincial governments.

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan, Punjab Minister for Transport Bilal Akbar, Governor Sindh, Minister for Transport Sindh and other government representatives will participate in the talks.

The President of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance said that transporters across Pakistan have been on a peaceful protest and strike for the past eight days. The nationwide strike will continue until the transporters’ demands are met, he said.

Shahzad Awan expressed hope that the problems would be resolved soon through negotiations with government representatives and the transport wheel would start moving again.

He appealed to transporters across the country to remain peaceful and said that he hoped to receive good news very soon.

He said that the transporters will not be satisfied with mere assurances from the federal and provincial governments but want practical acceptance of their demands.