January 02, 2008	Wednesday	Zilhaj 22, 1428

KARACHI, Jan 1: The National Transport Ittehad (NTI) has set a deadline for the disbursement of compensation for the vehicles belonging to transporters that had been torched, destroyed or badly damaged during the recent violence, saying that it would observe a nationwide wheeljam on Jan 15 if they did not receive the compensation amount by then.

In a statement issued here on Tuesday, NTI chairman Salim Khan Bangash, president Raja Mohammad Rafique, Al-Haj Malik Ahmed Khan, Taj Khan Bangash, Nazir Hussain, Itminan Zai, Haji Saad Rauf Khan, Sharoom Khan and others claimed that as many as 1,450 trailers and 734 large-sized buses, besides oil tankers and trucks had been torched in the violence that continued for several days in Sindh after the assassination of PPP chairperson and former prime minister Ms Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27.

They pointed out that a large number of public transport vehicles — local buses, mini-buses, coaches, rickshaws, taxis and pickups — had been set ablaze and destroyed in many cities and towns of the country since Thursday evening. The Mianwali Transport and Awan Transport alone lost 400 trailers to rioters who set them alight in Sindh, they said, adding that the vehicles were carrying loads of various goods.

The NTI leaders deplored that there seemed no governance and law-enforcement agencies to provide security to the life and property of citizens soon after the tragedy. Despite passage of four days now, miscreants were still playing with the life and property of citizens, they observed.

Mr Bangash claimed that transporters suffered a collective loss of Rs70 billion, and attributed the uncontrolled violence to the negligence of the police and administration. “The government is responsible for the losses,” he said, adding that transporters should be paid compensation immediately.

The NTI also expressed its deep grief and sorrow over assassination of Benazir Bhutto as a national tragedy.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Karachi Goods Carrier Association (KGCA) called on caretaker Home Minister Brig (Retd) Akhtar Zamin here on Tuesday and took up the matter of compensation with him. The delegation apprised him of the losses suffered by various transporters during the violence.Comprising KGCA president Mohammad Khalid Khan, vice-president Saifur Rehman Khan, general-secretary Ashiq Hussain Khan Niazi, joint secretary Mohammad Zia Razaq and other members, the delegation urged the home minister to ensure proper security to the life and property of transporters.

The minister assured the delegation that their problems would be taken up with the federal and provincial governments.—PPI