KARACHI: Atif Ikram Sheikh, President of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), has expressed deep concern over the crisis resulting from the nationwide, ten-day-long transporters wheel-jam strike and, the ensuing dispute with the Punjab Government.
He highlighted that the nationwide transporters’ strike is having serious negative consequences and the process of freight forwarding at ports has been severely affected – resulting in imported goods being stuck at the ports and making the timely delivery of export orders impossible.
Atif Ikram Sheikh also pointed out the production halt due to the lack of timely supply of raw materials and the production process in industrial units has either stopped or slowed down. These issues are causing financial losses to the traders and industrialists as they are suffering heavy losses in the form of demurrage and detention charges.
Atif Ikram Sheikh also stressed that the supply chain of essential goods and finished products across the country has been badly disrupted – troubling not only businesses; but, also general consumers. FPCCI Chief explained that damage to the credibility of Pakistani exporters due to delayed delivery of export orders is causing severe repercussions to Pakistan’s commercial reputation at the international level.Saquib Fayyaz Magoon, SVP FPCCI, has urged both the government and the transporters to immediately come to the negotiating table and resolve the ongoing crisis. He emphasized the following demands: (i) Immediate Resolution: the government should consider the legitimate demands of the transporters and take concrete, effective measures to end the strike (ii) Financial Relief: quick relief should be provided to the business community to prevent further financial losses – especially, through the exemption of demurrage and detention charges (iii) Supply Chain Restoration: swift restoration of the supply chain must be ensured; so that, economic activities can return to normalcy as soon as possible.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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