Sindh Governor Muhammad Zubair on Wednesday said goods transporters in Karachi had called off their strike in protest of a Sindh High Court (SHC) ban on the movement of heavy traffic within the city during daytime, Geo News reported.

The strike had lasted for 10 days.

The SHC had in March directed the transport secretary and the city traffic police chief to immediately enforce a ban on the movement of heavy vehicles in the city during daytime after citizens complained of a worsening in the traffic flow on the main arteries of the metropolis.

Goods transporters had gone on strike on May 8, arguing that the restriction was inflicting extra costs because their vehicles were having to cover longer distances at a stretch to reach their destinations on time.

A spokesman of Karachi's port authority had told Dawn that by Tuesday no vessel could be given a berth to unload cargo containers at the port's two terminals — Karachi International Container Terminal (KICT) and Pakistan International Container Terminal — because the number of stranded containers at the port had built up significantly due to the strike.

For the first eight of the ten days the strike lasted, imported cargo was unloaded from ships, but outbound cargo was delayed as no containers were reaching the port.

Following the Sindh governor's announcement, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh A.D. Khawaja directed the range, zonal and district police offices to ensure cooperation with traffic police working to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

"All deputy inspector generals and senior superintendents of police will personally monitor measures being taken in connection with the smooth flow of traffic on roads," a statement issued by the police department quoted the IGP as saying.

Khawaja also directed traffic police to take comprehensive measures to ensure smooth flow of traffic and reduce pressure on roads.

Khawaja further said officials must keep commuters informed about roads affected by development work and guide them about alternative routes.