LANDI KOTAL (Khyber Agency), July 18: Oil supply to Afghanistan remained suspended on Monday as oil tankers’ strike entered eighth day after their representatives and officials of the Afghan government failed to reach an agreement on release of more than 100 oil tankers stranded in Afghanistan. A 12-member delegation of oil-tanker drivers association held a series of discussions with representatives of the Afghan government in Kabul and Jalalabad for restoration of supply of oil to Afghanistan. Afghan authorities in Latha Bund area had stopped more then one hundred oil tankers due to bad conditions of un-metalled road.

The Afghan authorities had diverted traffic from the main Kabul-Jalalabad road to Latha Bund road due to construction of the main road.

Amin Shah, a representative of the drivers, told Dawn that the 12-member delegation, including a representative of Khyber Agency political administration, had held talks with the governor of Nangrahar in Jalalabad and the minister for transport in Kabul but their talks remained inconclusive as the Afghan government officials insisted that only mechanically fit vehicles would be allowed into Kabul.

Amin Shah, however, accused the Afghan traffic police in Latha Bund of demanding money from oil tanker drivers. He said that those who succumbed to their pressure were allowed to travel to Kabul.

Meanwhile, the oil tankers association held a meeting in Landi Kotal and warned to stop all sorts of traffic to Afghanistan if their demands were not accepted.