LANDI KOTAL, Oct 8: More than 200 truckers have suspended supply of gods to Nato forces in Afghanistan after contractors in Karachi allegedly backtracked on their agreement regarding off-day payment to them.

All Pakistan Oil Tankers Association secretary information Israr Ahmad Shinwari told Dawn that transport and logistic companies including Agility, Faisal, Water Link, Razzaq, Fleet Solutions and others in Karachi had agreed to pay all truckers Rs4,000 as day-off payment, 25 days a month, when Pakistan suspended supplies to Nato forces through its land routes after attack on Salala checkpost in November last year.

“The entire operation came to a halt and most of the vehicles loaded with Nato supplies were sent back to Karachi when government suspended supplies to Nato forces stationed in Afghanistan,” he said, adding that the companies committed off-day payment through an agreement inked with the transporters.

“Now as the supplies have been restored, the companies have backtracked on the agreement, telling the transporters that they will get payment for 18 days only instead of 25 days a month,” he alleged.

Mr Shinwari said that about 1,850 trucks of various sizes had waited for almost 11 months for restoration of Nato supplies along with payment of off-day for the same period of time. “But now the companies are making lame excuses to deprive transporters of their due right,” he added.

He said that even before suspension of Nato supplies the companies would pay them Rs4,000 per day whenever they would face delay in lodging and dislodging their goods both in Karachi and Kabul.

Safeerullah, a driver from Landi Kotal, blamed middlemen and brokers of the companies for defrauding them. He said that some logistic companies had already handed over huge amount to the brokers for distribution among the drivers. He said that they hadn’t received the amount from the brokers.

The driver said that logistic companies also compelled them to offload goods from their vehicles when they refused to transport the same to Afghanistan. The companies lured other transporters by making false promises with them to keep the supply continued, he added.

Mr Shinwari said that the affected transporters, mostly belonging to Khyber Agency, had approached the local political administration to resolve the issue as according to him most of the brokers also belonged to the same tribal region.

It was also learnt that the transporters were pressurising the local administration for a temporary suspension of Nato supplies through the Khyber Pass to compel the cargo companies to release their outstanding dues.

Pro-govt tribesmen killed

Two activists of a pro-government armed group were killed and two others received injuries in a blast in the remote Bazaar-Zakhakhel area of Khyber Agency on Monday.

Sources said that two activists of Tawheedul Islam were killed on the spot and two of their colleagues received critical injuries when a time device planted inside a bunker, they had captured from their rival Lashkar-i-Islam, exploded in Meerozai area of Bazaar-Zakhakhel.

The injured men were shifted to Landi Kotal hospital from where they were referred to Peshawar owing to their critical condition.

In Akkakhel area of Bara, militants associated with Lashkar-i-Islam destroyed the house of a volunteer of local peace committee on Sunday night.

Sources said that LI activists had warned Hamesh Gul to distance himself from the peace committee but he refused.

On Sunday night, a group of LI activists forcibly entered his house and destroyed it with explosives. Hamesh Gul and his family had vacated the house few days ago.

In Jamrud, two Nato containers were partially damaged in two separate bomb blasts on Monday.

Officials said that the explosives were planted along Jamrud bypass road and in Sur Kamar locality. The devices were detonated with a remote control when Nato containers were passing through the road.

The two vehicles were partially damaged but they continued their onward journey to Afghanistan via Torkham border.