KARACHI, March 20: The Supreme Council of All-Pakistan Transporters has expressed disassociation with the strike call given by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal against US led war in Iraq.

Speaking at a press conference at the office of provincial minister for transport Adil Siddiqui, transporters deplored the strike call for Friday and urged the MMA to hold protest rallies and peaceful demonstration against the war in Iraq rather than resorting to strikes that causes national loss.

Chief coordinator of the supreme authority of transporters, Haji Mohammad Iqbal, said that their body includes about 1,175 various bodies, ranging from auto-rickshaws to oil tankers and goods trailers and said they would not participate in the strike call anywhere in the country.

He recalled his pledge to provide free transport to the people in case of emergency.

KTI leaders Irshad Bokhari, Malik Khalid Hussain and other transporters were present in the press conference and expressed their inability to participate in any strike.

Adil Siddiqui informed about the initiative taken by the Sindh government to resolve the lingering issues between transporters, oil companies and the federal government, and said that the DG Oil was in Karachi to negotiate with the transporters.—PPI