Goods Transporters Suspend Nationwide Strike for 40 Days After Government Assurances
- Goods transporters have suspended their nationwide strike for 40 days following negotiations with government representatives.
- The transporters said the strike had continued across the country for the past nine days.
- The Sindh government assured transporters that their parking concerns would be addressed, while the federal government agreed to review toll tax rates.
- Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said work on a new motorway connecting Sukkur, Hyderabad and Karachi would begin this year.
Goods transporters have announced the suspension of their nationwide strike for 40 days after receiving assurances from the government regarding several of their key demands.
The decision came following negotiations between transporters and government representatives at the Governor House in Karachi. The talks were attended by Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan and All Pakistan Goods Transporters President Malik Shahzad.
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Speaking after the negotiations, Abdul Aleem Khan said the government had addressed issues that could be resolved immediately, while some other demands required formal procedures before they could be implemented. He said separate committees had been formed to work on the remaining matters.
The communications minister also criticised the condition of the Karachi-Hyderabad road, saying it could not reasonably be described as a motorway in its present state. He announced that construction of a new motorway connecting Sukkur with Hyderabad and Karachi would begin this year.
Aleem Khan said the government wanted to resolve the transporters’ concerns without entering into matters that could create further disputes.
Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi said the regional situation remained unusual and that the economic consequences of the ongoing conflict were being felt not only in Pakistan but across the world. Referring to the Makkah agreement, he said the prime minister and the field marshal were making efforts to ensure that positive developments translated into relief for the public.
Hashmi said both the government and transporters had listened to each other’s concerns during the negotiations and agreed that they were prepared to make necessary sacrifices in the national interest.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said officials had spent the day working to resolve the outstanding issues. He assured the transporters that matters falling under the Sindh government’s jurisdiction would be addressed, adding that dialogue remained the preferred way to settle disputes.
Addressing a press conference after the talks, All Pakistan Goods Transporters President Malik Shahzad confirmed that the strike would be suspended for 40 days following the government’s assurances.
Shahzad said goods transporters had been observing a nationwide strike for the past nine days. According to him, the Sindh government had assured the association that the parking issue faced by transporters would be resolved.
He further said the government had sought 15 days to work on the demand concerning the frequency of petroleum price revisions, including whether fuel prices should be determined after intervals of 15 days or one month.
Shahzad added that Abdul Aleem Khan had also assured transporters that a committee would be constituted to examine their demand for a reduction in toll taxes and review the existing rates.
Following these commitments, the transporters decided to suspend their strike for 40 days, giving the government time to make practical progress on the agreed demands.
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