KARACHI, March 19: The operators of oil tankers called off their countrywide strike on the government’s pledge that their genuine demands would be met.

Several thousand oil tankers had gone off the roads early on Monday for an indefinite period to protest against the rise in the prices of petroleum products and the rates paid to the operators.

They had threatened to bring all the power to a grinding halt and plunge the country into a serious crisis if their demands were not met.

Their decision to call off the strike came at a meeting late Tuesday night at the Sindh Assembly building between the government and Oil Tankers Association. The government side was represented by the Secretary Petroleum, Abdullah Yousuf, Sindh Minister for Labour and Transport, Adil Siddiqi and the provincial police chief, Syed Kamal Shah. Representatives of various oil companies were also present at the meeting.

“We have called off the strike and tankers throughout the country have started filling this morning (Wednesday) following assurances by the government that our grievances would be resolved,” said Yusuf Shawani, Chairman of the Oil Tankers Association.

The decision has been taken in view of developments that are taking place in West Asia where a war is looming large, he said referring to the US ultimatum to Iraq.

During the meeting, the association was also assured that all the arrested tanker drivers and their vehicles would be released.

A committee representing oil companies, transporters, oil tankers associations and the government has been formed to resolve all the relevant issue. The committee is scheduled to meet on March 28.

However, 15 goods transport organizations which had announced an indefinite countrywide strike from Wednesday, did not call off their protest and pressed for the acceptance of their demands.

Mian Nisar Afzal, Chief Coordinator of the coordination committee of the Karachi Goods Carriers Association (KGCA), claimed that no business was conducted at the Mauripur truck stand owing to which upcountry transportation of medicines and other merchandise was affected.

Various political parties and other organizations have strongly been protesting against the repeated increase in the POL prices.