KARACHI, May 15: Transporters on Tuesday expressed anger over torching of and damage to their vehicles on May 12 in Karachi. They described the day as ‘Black Saturday’.

Karachi Transport Ittehad President Syed Irshad Bukhari, Karachi Goods Carrier’s Association President Muhammad Khalid Khan, and representatives of Transport Carrier Association Union Karachi Port Trust, and Karachi Trucks, Trailers, Brokers Association said that hundreds of their vehicles were torched and damaged while many of drivers were still missing.

Mr Bukhari said many drivers and owners of public transport were missing, after they went to police stations in connection with their burnt vehicles. He said their vehicles hired for ‘government duty’ to block streets were torched. He charged that the government first took out vehicles forcibly, which were, later, set ablaze on May 12, 2007.

Expressing grief over loss of innocent lives, Mr Bukhari said that the transporters would hold a meeting soon to devise a strategy for claiming damages. He said he could not give an exact figure of the burnt or damaged vehicles because majority of them were taken away from streets at gunpoint and not hired on a proper basis.

Karachi Goods Carrier's Association President Khalid Khan said condolence messages of rulers were not enough to compensate human and financial losses of the ‘black Saturday’ in Karachi.

“We do not know how to console the affected transporters, who had lost their livelihood. They had obtained their vehicles after hard work of decades, many others had bought vehicles on borrowed money on interest basis,” said General Secretary KGCA Ashiq Hussain Khan Niazi.

He said it was the first time that heavy transport was taken in the city at gunpoint by armed persons in the presence of police and rangers. He said that the worst affected were owners of trucks and trailers whose vehicles were lifted from local streets at gunpoint.

“They started lifting our vehicles at gunpoint from different areas of the city from Friday afternoon till Saturday early morning. They parked them to block roads and streets and deflated their tyres,” General Secretary Transport Carrier Association Union KPT Maddad Khan said.

He said the drivers were deprived of cash and other valuables and manhandled in Landhi, Malir, Ghani Chowrangi, Ranchore Line, Baloch Colony, Port Qasim and other areas and their vehicles were snatched at gunpoint.

Amir Kalam of the Karachi Trucks, Trailers and Brokers Association claimed that when their organization contacted the Inspector General Sindh Police, he showed his helplessness.

Sharing his personal experience, another member of the association, Aslam Niazi, said: “They snatched two of my trailer-trucks, which were on their way to the Keamari port from Port Qasim, parked them on Sharea Faisal and burst their tyres.” He said he had to spend Rs150,000 just to buy new tyres.

The transporters wondered why the police and law enforcement agencies abandoned the city on the black Saturday and why transporters were not given security.

They expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of innocent lives and appealed to President General Pervez Musharaf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, Governor Sindh and all other higher authorities to compensate the affected people and transporters.—PPI