Oil tanker owners’ body protests against extortion

All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association staged a protest against extortion and halted the fuel supply by strategically parking hundreds of oil tankers at the Kanta Weighbridge.

The association claims that one of their drivers was subjected to torture on Tuesday afternoon.

Under the banner of the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Association, a substantial number of vehicles were lined up on Link Road as a collective voice against the alleged extortion. During the protest, oil tanker drivers handed their vehicle keys over to the administration. Shams Shahwani, a representative of the association, declared that this strike would continue indefinitely. He pointed out that formal complaints regarding extortion have been submitted to various institutions over an extended period, but no concrete actions have been taken to address the issue.

Shahwani lamented a recent incident wherein a tanker driver was brutally assaulted by the weighbridge crew at Kanta.

Moreover, Shams Shahwani emphasised that the load of tankers involved in nationwide fuel distribution, including rural Sindh, adheres strictly to the regulations set by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). Despite this, drivers are frequently intimidated at weighbridges by claims that their tankers carry excessive oil loads. Subsequently, extortionate bribes are demanded to avoid any alleged discrepancies. Regrettably, this trend has been on the rise. In response, the association feels compelled to resort to protest and strikes as their only means of drawing attention to this pressing concern.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 17^th, 2023.