Karachi Goods Carriers Association has threatened a nationwide transport strike over the increase in fuel prices.

KARACHI – The Karachi Goods Carriers Association (KGCA) has rejected the government’s recent hike in diesel and petrol prices as well as the current fuel pricing mechanism and warned that it will stage a nationwide wheel jam strike if the decision is not reversed within 24 hours.

Addressing a press conference along with KGCA President Malik Sher Khan, Vice Chairman and Vice President Ayaz Khan, KGCA General Secretary Nadeem Akhtar Arain said that Pakistan’s transport sector is the backbone of the national economy but it has been continuously neglected.

He said that repeated hikes in diesel and petrol prices have pushed transporters into severe financial crisis, adding that despite the drop in global oil prices, neither the public nor the transporters are benefiting from the drop in international fuel prices.

Arian said that the current policies of the government have not only harmed the transport industry but also put additional pressure on the overall economy of the country.

He also alleged that truck drivers and vehicle owners in Punjab, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other regions are facing unnecessary scrutiny, heavy fines, alleged bribery and harassment by various government departments.

According to Aryan, such measures have significantly affected the transport business, while drivers continue to face unfair treatment.

He warned that if the government failed to meet the demands of the association immediately, the suspension of goods transport across the country would severely affect the movement of import and export cargo from the ports of Karachi, Port Qasim and Gwadar, as well as the supply of petroleum products, food, medicine and other essential commodities, causing serious damage to both the economy and the people.

Arain said that Karachi Goods Carriers Association is in constant touch with major transport organizations across the country and will soon announce a nationwide protest campaign and wheel jam strike after joint consultation.

The association urged Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Finance Minister and other concerned authorities to immediately review the recent hike in fuel prices, address the concerns of transporters and take immediate steps to address the challenges facing the country’s largest freight transport sector to avert a possible economic crisis.

The post Karachi Goods Carriers Association threatened a nationwide transport strike over fuel price hike appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.

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