KARACHI, June 6: Goods transporters went on an indefinite strike on Tuesday to press the city government for lifting the ban imposed on entry of goods transport into the city between 5am and 11pm.
All goods transportation activities were suspended at the port and warehouses while trucks were parked at truck stands.
The strike was observed against the ban imposed by the city nazim on May 17 through Section 144 of the CrPC restricting the movement of goods carriers into the city from 5am to 11pm.However, the ban was implemented from June 2, when the traffic police started impounding goods vehicles and arrested their drivers under Section 188 of the CrPC.
"We were not consulted before enforcing Section 144. We came to know about the ban when our vehicles were impounded and drivers were arrested on Friday last," Jawed Rasheed Arain, General Secretary of Karachi Goods Carriers Association told Dawn on Tuesday.
He said the KGCA had protested over the impounding of vehicles and arrests of drivers but their hue and cry was not paid heed.
"Our 200 trucks laden with goods have been impounded so far and their drivers have been arrested. We decided to observe a strike from Tuesday and we are on strike since then with some 400,000 tons of goods awaiting transportation," he claimed.
"We will get our drivers out on bail but it will be the national economy that will bear the real losses, as the month of June is the last month of the fiscal year and traders have to send their consignments abroad.
No businessman can afford the delay of even a day, as orders for whole consignments can be cancelled and it will ultimately cause a loss for national economy," he added.
About a dialogue with the city government, Mr Arain said no negotiations between the government and KGCA had taken place.
"The office bearers of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce held talks with the city government, but without any results so far," he added.
He vowed that the strike will continue till the withdrawal of the ban on entry of goods carriers into the city and their movement between 5am to 11pm.
He promised that the strike will come to an end as soon as the ban is lifted and all arrested drivers with impounded trucks are released.
Meanwhile, the Karachi Transport Ittehad and the Pakhtoon Action Committee, in separate statements, have backed the strike call of the goods transporters and demanded of the city government to lift the ban on movement of goods.
The KTI President, Syed Irshad Bokhari, endorsed the strike call of the All Karachi Supreme Council of Goods Transport Ittehad, Pakistan Goods Carriers Association, Sindh Truck Owners' Association and other goods transport allied bodies.
He said the negative policies of the government had already brought the goods transport sector on the verge of disaster and more unnecessary bans would be detrimental to its existence.
The Chairman of the Pakhtoon Action Committee, Shahi Syed, while supporting the strike said that wrong government policies had resulted in forcing people from each and every section of life to stage protest.
Advising the city government, he said: "It is still time to be wise to handle the situation."
He claimed that the present rulers had been discouraging peaceful protests instead of tolerating them.
He warned: "If the President and Prime Minister do not take notice of the grim situation, the direction of the protests will be changed."
KARACHI, June 6: Goods transporters went on an indefinite strike on Tuesday to press the city government for lifting the ban imposed on entry of goods transport into the city between 5am and 11pm.
