ISLAMABAD, Feb 21: The management of a franchise transport company here on Monday announced closure of the bus service in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, expressing its inability to continue the operations.

The company had been on an unannounced strike since February 13 when some of its buses were set on fire by angry protesters after one of the buses ran over a motorcyclist near Faizabad.

Speaking at a news conference at the camp office of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club, Varan Tours Chairperson Uzma Gul said: "I have conceded defeat; I am no longer able to continue the service." She held the "police and wagon mafia" responsible for creating hurdles in her way.

When reminded that she had also threatened to close the bus service a number of times in the past, Mr Gul said this time the decision was final. She said despite the passage of nine days the district administration had not approached her as it was unable to provide security to the company which, she claimed, had already suffered a lose of Rs20 million.

She also dispelled the impression that she was closing the service in fear of a free competition, as the Supreme Court has asked the Punjab government to run its own transport and invite other companies to operate on the routes within four months. She claimed that the Supreme Court had not given any verdict against her, but had asked the government to amend some of its transport-related laws.

To another question, she said only 18 people had died in 16 accidents involving the company's buses. "The ratio of accidents involving Varan buses is nothing considering the fact that about 200,000 people daily travelled on the buses, which have so far run a distance of 50 million kilometres," she claimed.

Despite lack of awareness among the masses of traffic rules, faulty signals as well as wheeling by motorcyclists, only in four accidents the company drivers had been found guilty. Three of the incidents were still being investigated and the rest of the cases were baseless, she maintained.

She said being the daughter of an army general went against her as it invited the wrath of politicians who were against the army. The problems faced by her company were seldom encountered by those operating buses in Faisalabad, Lahore and Multan as her vehicles were set on fire right in front of the police, she said. She said her company had been facing hardships since February 23, 2000, when the provincial government gave it exclusive rights on a number of routes.