April 28, 2007	Saturday	Rabi-us-Sani 10, 1428

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PESHAWAR, April 27: The Pak-Afghan transporters observed a partial strike on Friday in protest against what they called illegal taxes and extortions inside Afghanistan by local commanders, traders and authorities said.

“Hundreds of trucks owned by both Pakistani and Afghan transporters have been parked at warehouses along the G.T Road and Ring Road in Peshawar, whereas oil supply to NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan will also be stopped by April 29, if our demands are not accepted,” Shakir Afridi, one of the transporters told Dawn on Friday.

The transporters on Thursday had announced to annul the supply of goods in protest against the alleged extortions.

The custom authorities, however, at Torkhum informed that 311 trucks carrying export and transit goods crossed the border on Friday.

Mr Afridi explained that the trucks that crossed the border on Friday were cleared a day before the strike call was made. He claimed that not a single vehicle had left for Torkhum from Peshawar on the first day of the strike.

He said that transporters operating on the Pak-Afghan route were supplying different kinds of material from Pakistan to US and NATO soldiers in Afghanistan via four-entry points: Torkham, Khust, Qandahar and Mazar Sharif.

For this purpose over 1200 container trailers are being used, out of which around 600 to 700 trailers cross the border through these points daily, he said.

He accused the Afghan commanders of stopping transporters at gunpoint and extorting huge sums of money from them.

“Transport workers are physically tortured whenever they refuse to meet the demands,” Mr Afridi said, adding that the issue had been brought to the notice of the Afghan government time and again, but to no avail.