By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: The All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance said on Sunday it was suspending its nine-day nationwide strike for a period of 40 days, after receiving assurances from the federal and Sindh governments on a string of long-standing demands, among them the method used to set petroleum prices.
The announcement was made at a joint press conference in Karachi, where alliance president Malik Shehzad Awan appeared alongside Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan.
Awan told reporters that both tiers of government had committed to resolving a cluster of issues that have dogged the transport sector for months, including a reduction in toll tax, chronic parking problems at freight hubs, the pricing of petroleum products, and limits on axle loads for heavy vehicles.
He said a number of the alliance’s grievances had already been addressed by the federal and provincial authorities, while others would be escalated to cabinet level, where assurances had likewise been extended. Committee-level talks between transporters and officials would continue in the coming weeks, he added, voicing hope that the commitments made would ultimately be honoured in full.
“We are not ending the strike — we are postponing it,” Awan said, making clear the alliance retained the right to resume its protest if the assurances given were not translated into action.
According to Awan, Aleem Khan had pledged that a dedicated committee would be established to review and bring down toll taxes, and that the daily revision of petroleum prices — a practice that has been at the heart of the transporters’ complaints — would instead be carried out on a fortnightly or monthly basis. The minister also assured the alliance that 10-wheeler trucks would be permitted to carry weight loads in line with appropriate limits, Awan said.
On the provincial side, the Sindh government had given its own assurance that the long-running parking dispute affecting transporters would be resolved, Awan added.
Speaking at the same press conference, Governor Hashmi described the present regional situation as extraordinary, saying the economic fallout of the ongoing conflict was being felt not only within Pakistan but across the wider world. He said the prime minister and the Field Marshal were working to ensure the benefits of recent developments filtered through to ordinary citizens, adding: “Both sides agreed that they are ready to make every sacrifice for the country.”
The strike had been called last Saturday in protest against the government’s decision to revise diesel rates on a daily basis, a policy transporters say has made it impossible to plan freight charges given that intercity journeys can take several days to complete. Alongside the fuel pricing dispute, the alliance had also pressed for changes to the toll tax regime and called on the government to strictly enforce existing rules on axle-load management, rather than introducing fresh restrictions.
Transporters estimated that around 400 vehicles took part in the action, with cargo movement at Pakistan’s ports severely disrupted over the course of the stoppage.
The standoff carried particular weight for Karachi, the country’s principal commercial hub, where any sustained interruption to cargo movement leaves import and export consignments stranded at the port — a delay that quickly translates into steep demurrage and detention charges for businesses already operating on tight margins.
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