Transporters conclude three-day strike following breakthrough discussions

Millions of commuters received a huge relief on Sunday as the Karachi Transport Alliance announced to call off its three-day long strike after successful negotiations with the Karachi administration over key demands expressed by the transport companies.

Public transport services around the city are set to return to normal operations starting Monday, ending interruptions that have disrupted daily commuters and businesses.

The statement came after a crucial meeting between Karachi Transport Alliance leaders and Commissioner Karachi, when both sides discussed the concerns that had led transporters to cease their operations.

Authorities have reportedly agreed to transporters’ demands for a two-month postponement on the necessity to biometrically verify vehicle ownership transfers. To a great extent that issue had been the cause of the strike being called.

Officials also told the truckers that their concerns regarding payment of third party insurance charges of Rs12,000 would be resolved, which would assist remove another key cause of dispute.

At the discussion, the two parties exchanged views on a host of transport-related problems and decided to conduct a further session after 15 days to monitor progress and resolve any outstanding concerns.

The Karachi Transport Alliance will organise a consultative conference of its member organisations in the near future to discuss the guarantees given by the government and to decide future strategy, sources said.

The strike is likely to bring back normalcy to Pakistan’s biggest city where thousands of people utilise buses, coaches and minibuses to get to work each day.