Oil tankers' strike: BQATI urges authorities to help maintain peace at Port Qasim

Managing Committee of Bin Qasim Association of Trade and Industry (BQATI), in a press release, expressed their concern over deteriorating law and order situation of Bin Qasim Industrial Zone.
BQATI is deeply concerned over blatant lawlessness in the industrial port area of Port Qasim that a new menace caused by the violent strike of edible oil tanker drivers has come up recently since last week which is a source of great concern and anxiety to the industries and the foreigners working at Port Qasim industrial area.
Since last week, the corner of National Highway and Port Qasim, which is the main entrance to the industrial port, has been occupied by a crowd of hundreds of edible oil tanker union members and their tankers, who are at loggerheads with ghee mills over upcountry freight rates. This is the second strike in recent months. The strike has crippled industrial activity in the area as the protest has turned extremely violent on a number of occasions, resulting in riots, shooting and burning and damaging cargo-carrying tankers worth millions of rupees.
On October 6, oil tankers carrying edible oil from Port Qasim to upcountry were forcibly stopped and beaten up on the National Highway; they also moved to the oil industries situated at NWIZ enquiring and giving threat if there were any oil supply, also one of the member industry who has invited Malaysian delegation for foreign investment had to leave the area in a very critical situation.
On the morning of October 10, main road leading to Port Qasim and Industrial Zone was blocked by these people due to which staff working in the zone had to suffer lot. The entrance to Port Qasim gets blocked and becomes extremely dangerous for staff and visitors of industries at Port Qasim to pass through. The situation is especially dangerous for foreign businessmen visiting the area and foreign nationals who are part of the management of several multinationals in the area.
BQATI earnestly urges the concerned authorities and law enforcement agencies to take matters in control and prevent further damage to the already frail industrial and economic condition of Karachi. These incidents have created lot of panic in the area. These events have re-emphasised the need to implement strict and additional security measures to minimise the risk of criminal activities on PQA roads and protect the infrastructure and manpower of Port Qasim Industries.-PR