Goods transporters call off nationwide strike after successful talks with govt

Customs Agents Association says around 25,000 import containers, stuck at ports, need immediate clearance

KARACHI:

Goods transporters, following successful negotiations with the government, have announced the end of their nationwide strike that continued for 10 days.

According to a spokesperson for the Goods Transporters Association, the government accepted most of the transporters’ demands, prompting the decision to call off the strike with immediate effect. Vehicle movement is expected to resume from tonight.

The transporters had been demanding amendments to the relevant transport laws, withdrawal of FIRs and fines registered against drivers and vehicle owners, allocation of space for 1,000 containers at ports, and the clearance of vehicles stranded at the Pakistan-Afghan border.

The association had also called for the deployment of mobile licensing units on highways and motorways to facilitate issuance of LTV and HTV driving licences.

Goods Transporters Association President, Malik Shehzad Awan said committees formed by the federal government, Punjab, and Sindh administrations had assured the association that all demands would be accepted.

He added that a draft agreement had been signed between the government and the association, with an official notification expected shortly. All transporters have signed the agreement, he said. Awan also thanked goods transporters and other stakeholders for supporting the protest.

10-day strike disrupted import, export activity

The 10-day strike had disrupted import and export activity, leading to a backlog of containers at ports. While spokespersons for Karachi Port and Port Qasim maintained that port operations and vessel movement continued as normal, stakeholders from the trade sector painted a different picture.

All Pakistan Customs Agents Association Chairman, Arshad Khurshid told Express that around 25,000 import containers, including those carrying edible oil, industrial raw materials and other consumer goods, were awaiting onward transportation from both ports. He added that nearly 15,000 export containers failed to reach the ports due to the strike.

Businessmen Group Chairman, Zubair Motiwala said the prolonged strike had pushed the trade and industrial sectors into a distressing situation. He noted that while ports typically handle around 2,000 containers daily, between 12,000 and 14,000 containers remained stuck over the past 10 days.

Motiwala warned that although production at export-oriented industries continued, the halt in transportation of finished goods to ports could lead to missed delivery deadlines, potentially resulting in financial losses for Pakistani exporters. He added that export consignments had not been transported to ports for over a week.

Calling for cooperation, Motiwala urged the government and goods transporters to show flexibility to help protect the economy from further damage.