Fuel shock drives goods transport fares up 7%

Goods transporters have announced a seven per cent increase in freight charges in response to a sharp rise in petroleum prices, while warning that a nationwide strike could follow if the government fails to implement agreements reached with the transport sector. All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance president Malik Shehzad Awan, in a video statement, said freight rates were being raised by seven per cent following increases of Rs26.88 per litre in diesel and Rs20 per litre in petrol over the past seven days. He condemned what he described as the government's policy of changing petroleum prices on a daily basis, saying the repeated increases were unacceptable to transporters across the country. Awan said the rising fuel costs were making it increasingly difficult for goods transporters to operate and claimed that government policies were pushing transporters towards unemployment. "If the government does not provide relief to goods transporters, we cannot operate transport services at these rates," he said, demanding fuel subsidies and relief from toll taxes, withholding tax and other levies. He also called for implementation of agreements reached by the federal and provincial governments following the nationwide transport strike held from August 8 to 17. Moreover, Awan said transporters had given the governments 40 days to implement the agreements and the deadline would expire next week. He warned that failure to honour the commitments within the stipulated period would prompt transporters across Pakistan to launch another nationwide strike.