They further expressed that the government has kept mum over the strike and making no practical efforts to get the transports issue resolved. They claimed that thousands of truckloads of export cargo have stuck up across the country and on highways due to the countrywide strike of trucks and containers.
Ongoing strike by the goods transporters entered into its tenth day on Tuesday and has been causing huge difficulty to manufacturing sector across the country while importers are forced to pay port demurrage charges in lieu of non-clearance of ports space. They have further urged the President of Pakistan, Prime Minister, Federal Home Minister, Governor Sindh, Chief Minister and high officials of law enforcing agencies to resolve the issue of transporters without further delay in order to rescue sinking economy.
They further expressed if the strike is not called off without any delay the exporters will have to face huge financial losses for shipping their goods by air to fulfil their commitments or lose their hard-earned export contracts.
Patron In-Chief Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) S M Muneer, Chairman Mohammad Zubair Chhaya, President All Karachi Industrial Alliance, Mian Zahid Hussain, Vice Chairmen Najmul Arfeen and Niaz Ahmed in their joint SOS message to the power corridors in Islamabad, provincial government and heads of law enforcing agencies to intervene without further delay and take measures to end transporters strike.
Chairman KATI, Zubair Chhaya said that the goods transport carriers strike has not only hurt shipments of export consignments but also detrimental to import business as importers are forced to pay demurrages for not being able to clear their consignments from the ports and also affecting manufacturing activity as industrial units are not receiving their raw materials and fuel to run their mills resulting in a loss of over Rs 3.5 billion per day.
Chairman Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industry (FBAATI), M.Haroon Shamsi said that the ten days' long goods transports strike has crippled industrial production, import and export which are the lifelines and backbone of the country's economy, but it is sad state of affairs that the government has kept mum over this grave situation and is paying no heed to it.
He expressed fear that export orders of billions of rupees may be cancelled, resulting hue losses to exports as well as national exchequer. Meanwhile, in a press release Usman Ahmed, President of Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI) expressed his concern over strike by goods transporters; the strike is being observed over lack of security and load limits set by the motorway police along with the fines being issued, goods transport carriers strike has completely halted the export and import activities and has also damaged the industrial manufacturing capacity of the country resulting in per day losses of around Rs 3.6 billion to the foreign exchange earnings through exports.
He said that the transport of goods to factories is being affected by this causing closure of ghee units, cement and soap manufacturing units due to non supply of raw materials to industries. President BQATI said that the goods transport carriers strike which had entered into its 10th day has ceased business activities as the goods are not reaching the ports due to which the country has suffered a loss of exports of around $600-700 million so far.
The goods transport carriers strike has not only hurt shipments of export consignments but have also disturbed import business as importers are forced to pay demurrages for not being able to clear their consignments from the ports. Furthermore, the strike had been affecting manufacturing activity as industrial units are not receiving raw materials and fuel to run their mills, thus resulting in a loss of over Rs 3.6 billion per day.
Mian Muhammed Ahmed, Patron In-chief BQATI urged the government must interfere to resolve the matter without any further delay, as the transporters are at the firm decision they will not end strike until government meets their demands. If regular supply of raw materials to industries is not regularised, thousand of industrial workers, particularly the daily wages would face retrenchment.
He urged the government to save industries. He stressed upon the government to find out a workable solution to the problem and urged them to play a positive role to end the ongoing strike so that business activities could be started without any further delays.
Abdul Rasheed Jan Mohammed, Vice President BQATI added if the situation was not resolved, there could be a shortage of essential consumer goods in the coming days. The strike has also affected the supply of flour, sugar, ghee, cement, fertiliser and vegetables to local markets.