Goods transport in the country is at standstill--for the seventh day in a row. Considering the upcoming long weekend, the stalled commerce is likely to persist. And, if the threats from various representative associations of transporters are anything to go by, it appears unlikely that their strike will be ending any time soon.
The charter of demands contains no fewer than 17 points; including some that have been reiterated time and again over the past decade or so. Talking to BR Research, chairman of United Goods Transport Alliances, Ghulam Yaseen Khan Niazi, alleged that the government has so far paid no heed to demands, which he asserted are "not very difficult to be met". He blamed the governments staunchness for jamming the wheels of commerce in the country.
"It is the governments strike, not ours, because they are the ones snatching our containers by force. They are the ones who have not paid us for heavy losses back in 2007 after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, they are the ones who have not constructed link roads as earlier promised," said an agitated Yaseen.
It is pertinent to mention here that almost all commerce chambers, trade associations and trade bodies have relentlessly urged the government to seriously look into the matter and save the economy from a deeper mess. Though the transporters contend they are willing to go the long haul in their protest; they are willing to shorten their long list of demands.
The trouble is the UGTA representative has so far been elusive about which "4-5 top demands" is their most pressing concern. A meeting of some of the representatives with Governor Punjab also concluded on vague footing.
Still the most vociferous and oft-repeated demands from transporters hinge on seeking compensation for vehicles destroyed on December 27, 2007, or in other acts of terrorism. Though the sum of compensation can be doled out by the government, the key impediment appears to be governments reluctance to take on this responsibility.
For their part, chambers and trade bodies are urging the government to end the stalemate with transporters. The fact is the countrys economic engines cannot churn, unless the wheels of commerce start spinning again and soon.