Government Apathy Has Put the Transport Sector on a Ventilator; Passenger Buses May Shut Down in Balochistan — Transporters Action Committee

Quetta — President of the All Balochistan Transporters Action Committee Haji Habibullah Badizai, General Secretary Mir Akbar Lahri, Vice President Haji Musa Jan Achakzai, and other leaders have said that the transport sector in Balochistan is on a ventilator and taking its last breaths. Transporters have become indebted by millions of rupees, while continuing the business is becoming more difficult by the day. If the government does not take immediate emergency relief measures, passenger buses will disappear from the province, causing severe difficulties for the public regarding travel.

They said transporters continued providing travel facilities to the people despite unfavorable conditions, but conditions have now reached a point where they no longer have the capacity to even fuel passenger buses. Skyrocketing petroleum prices, continuously rising business costs, and other difficulties have pushed the transport sector into a severe financial crisis. Transporters are no longer in a position to make further sacrifices, and if the government does not take practical steps to resolve their problems, this important sector could be completely destroyed.

The leaders said steps for improving law and order in Balochistan appear limited to statements and announcements only, while traveling on national highways is becoming difficult and unsafe. Effective measures are inevitable to end the problems faced by passengers and transporters on the highways.

They said unnecessary check posts are also playing a fundamental role in the destruction of the transport sector, where repeated checking and unnecessary hurdles increase time and costs, directly affecting transporters and passengers.

They demanded that the Balochistan government and relevant authorities announce an immediate relief package to pull the transport sector out of crisis, take practical steps to reduce the impact of rising petroleum prices, review and eliminate unnecessary check posts and difficulties on national highways, and ensure the protection of passengers’ lives and property.

They warned that if the legitimate problems of transporters are further ignored, it will become impossible to maintain the passenger transport system in Balochistan, and all responsibility for this will rest with the relevant authorities.