President Asif Ali Zardari has vowed that attempts by foreign-backed terrorists to obstruct development in Balochistan will be defeated at all costs, stressing that the province’s progress must continue despite security challenges.

Zardari made the remarks during a meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti at the President’s House, where he was briefed on the overall situation in the province and ongoing development initiatives.

The president said there was a need to ensure effective coordination between the federal and provincial governments to promote peace, development and public welfare in Balochistan.

He stressed that Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by area, deserved special attention and adequate resources to support its development.

Zardari said efforts by terrorists operating with foreign backing to create obstacles to Balochistan’s development would be thwarted at every cost.

He expressed confidence that terrorism would eventually be eliminated from the province, saying that the day was not far when Balochistan would be free from terrorism.

The meeting also focused on the province’s overall conditions and development activities currently underway.

Pakistan Peoples Party Women’s Wing President Faryal Talpur and former Balochistan minister Mir Ali Hassan Zehri were also present during the meeting.
 

Oil prices ticked higher in early trade on Wednesday, climbing for a fourth straight day on supply uncertainty as investors weighed conflicting messages from ​Tehran and Washington on whether the Strait of Hormuz is open ‌to ships.

Brent crude futures climbed 26 cents, or 0.29%, to $91.28 by 0004 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 37 cents to $85.31 a barrel.
Both contracts closed ​on Tuesday at their highest since July 24 as hopes of ​peace between the U.S. and Iran faded.

U.S. President Donald Trump said ⁠on Tuesday no talks were taking place with Iran and insisted the Strait ​of Hormuz was open, contradicting Iran’s assertion that the critical waterway remained shut ​to shipping.

A temporary ceasefire agreement expired on Monday and a senior Iranian official told Reuters that his country was moving to due to the diplomatic stalemate, though ​there were no reports of fresh strikes by either side on Tuesday.

To avoid ​the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq’s cabinet approved mechanisms for exporting Iraqi crude through specialized international and local ‌companies ⁠and via multiple export outlets, the government said on Tuesday.

The contracts under the new mechanism will run for three months starting September 1, according to a statement issued after the cabinet meeting.

Meanwhile, two Chinese shipping giants have stopped sending oil ​tankers through Hormuz ​and the Bab ⁠al-Mandeb strait amid the conflict in the Middle East and are instead collecting oil cargoes outside the Gulf, according to ​three industry executives, tanker trackers and a ship broker.

In ​the U.S., ⁠crude oil and distillate inventories fell, while gasoline stocks rose last week, market sources said on Tuesday, citing data from the American Petroleum Institute.

Official inventory numbers from ⁠the ​U.S. Energy Information Administration are due at 10:30 ​a.m. ET (1430 GMT), with analysts polled by Reuters expecting crude stocks fell by about 600,000 barrels in the ​week ended August 14.

 The federal government has increased petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices, raising the rates by Rs3.34 and Rs5.27 per litre, respectively, under the new daily fuel pricing mechanism.

Following the latest revision, petrol will now cost Rs334.54 per litre, while HSD has been set at Rs395.69 per litre. The revised prices will remain effective for August 19, according to an official notification.

The government has also increased the price of kerosene oil by Rs4.22 per litre, taking it to Rs300.85 per litre.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) has started publishing petroleum prices on a daily basis as part of efforts to improve transparency and ensure that changes in international oil prices are passed on to consumers more quickly.

The move comes amid continued volatility in global oil markets following renewed tensions in the Middle East. The government shifted from fortnightly to weekly fuel price reviews after the conflict in the region began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched attacks on Iran, prompting Tehran to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for around one-fifth of global energy supplies before the war.

Tensions have intensified since a fragile truce between Tehran and Washington collapsed in June, raising concerns over a wider conflict and potential disruptions to energy supplies through the strategic waterway.