Express News correspondent Naeem Khanzada said that after three hours of intense negotiations, both sides had managed to resolve outstanding issues and members of the United Goods Transporters Association had decided to resume work.
The deliberations though, were not without their moments of heat. After the transporters put forward a 15-point charter of demands, talks with the delegation of federal ministers and provincial law enforcement authorities often came to a head.
Khanzada said that at one point in time, Federal Minister of Ports and Shipping Babar Ghouri almost got up and left, and had to be brought back. On another occasion, the transporters became rash pushing for their demands.
In the end, Khanzada said, the transporters agreed to take their chances with promises made by the ministers and accepted nine solutions presented by the committee.
Among the chief demands conceded during the meeting was that within 48 hours, five police check posts will be built on the Northern bypass to ensure security. Another of the key issues included cargo weight and National Highway Authority (NHA) and Motorway police. It was decided that the NHA and motorway police will not obstruct or ticket truckers for three months.
Ghouri said that any area in which trucks met with attempts at burglary, or attacks, that area’s DIG will be held responsible.
Additionally, responding to the grievance of transporters that their trucks and containers were directly put in the line of fire of protesters as road blocks, it was decided that the Karachi Port Trust would spend Rs20 million to procure containers for blocking roads. Further, IG Sindh has been told to pay rent to buses that they use as emergency road blocks and for transport.
As a result, transporters agreed to restart their engines from night of December 12.
In addition to the federal ministers, Inspector General Sindh police, DIG motorway police along with NHA officials were also present at the meeting.
Correction: An earlier version of the story was carrying some spelling errors which have now been rectified.
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@Jibran: Really this nation resembles a vehicle in the middle of jammed circle where everyone is honking horns.and there is no way to get out of this mess.
I think the picture should be an eye opener for us all. We must take remedial steps regarding reforming our national attitude. we need to consider our national honour while we do anything in our daily life including driving on the road because we can bring a good name to our country through good deeds or vice versa.
how cool is the sight in the photo! i simply love it. i think people will soon start saying that this is a conspiracy against Pakistan otherwise we are a very well behaved and disciplined nation.so much of our respect for the law is evident from the picture!
stride or strike? :-S
Do a spell check for god's sake !!!!
@Jibran: We rogue Pakistanis make very good lines when out of Pakistan,I feel so degraded when food is served in marriages,political functions,death ceremonies,cultural/social functions,passions can returned to our blood if privilege of vip,horn and overtaking is banned in our complete country for three months.
Yet again government mafia relents to transporter mafia. we are a nation of gangsters...do it our way or the highway...
My only hope is the government of Pakistan lives up to its promise. The truckers are justified in pressing their demands for security and safe travel but in so far as, no challans for three months, that is very absurd. Salams
A correction needs to be made in the headline from stride to strike, and in the bold summary from ended to end
Very nice photo. Displays perfectly the temperament of the Pakistanis as a nation!