Bin Qasim Association of Trade & Industry (BQATI) Managing Committee expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation of the Bin Qasim Industrial Zone.
In a press release, the committee said the violent strike of edible oil tanker drivers was a source of great concern and anxiety for 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 country’s only industrial port, had 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 crippled industrial activity in the area as the protests turned extremely violent on a number of occasions, resulting in riots, shooting, burning and damaging of cargo-carrying tankers worth millions of rupees.
On October 6, oil tankers carrying edible oil from Port Qasim were forcibly stopped and the drivers beaten up on the National Highway. Oil industries situated at NWIZ were also threatened for supplying oil and one member of the industry who had invited a Malaysian delegation for foreign investment had to leave the area in a very critical situation.
On the morning of October 10, the road leading to Port Qasim and Industrial Zone was blocked by these people due to whom the staff working in the zone faced problems.
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 urged 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 panic in the area re-emphasising the need to implement strict security measures to minimise the risk of criminal activities on these routes and protect the infrastructure and manpower of Port Qasim Industries.