The government has approved an increase in the margins of petroleum dealers, accepting their demand amid the threat of a nationwide strike, sources told ProPakistani.

Sources said the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved revised dealers’ margins for Motor Spirit (MS) and High-Speed Diesel (HSD) during a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb at the Finance Division on Friday.

The ECC reviewed a Petroleum Division proposal seeking an upward revision in dealers’ margins on the two major petroleum products.

The approval comes a day before petroleum dealers were scheduled to begin a nationwide shutdown over their demands, including higher margins and concerns about the government’s petroleum pricing mechanism.

The meeting was attended by Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, federal secretaries and senior officials of the relevant ministries and divisions.