Govt opts for high-level talks as strike by truckers, edible oil transporters strains ports

According to Dawn, a key round of talks in Karachi on Sunday may help end the eight-day standoff involving truckers and tanker operators hauling edible oil. Congestion is building at the ports as containers pile up, though the Karachi Port Trust says the situation is not yet critical. Security agencies have also stepped in to help resolve the impasse.

The biggest sticking point is a seven per cent withholding tax on goods transport, while fuel tankers pay 2pc. Those on strike, including truckers and operators of container trailers and edible oil tankers, want the rate lowered to 2pc, but FBR sources indicated the cut could only happen through the Finance Bill and might come up in the 2027-28 budget. Customs impounding of vehicles carrying smuggled or illicit goods is another contested issue, with an official questioning why carriers would book such cargo unless they were involved in smuggling.

The government has agreed to some other concessions, such as a parking area for trailers and trucks at Karachi port, plus temporary relief for 10-wheeler trucks on axle-load limits on highways. Spokesman Muhammad Owais Chaudhry of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Ittehad said the nationwide protest continues, with thousands of vehicles still off the roads, and that verbal assurances fall short. He also said guarantors have started taking part in attempts to settle the row.