ISLAMABAD: Public transport owners in Pakistan are observing nationwide strike against tax increases, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the country.
The inter-city transporters said on Wednesday they were willing to go on an indefinite wheel-jam strike, as their protest entered the second day, until the government withdrew the additional taxes imposed in the recent budget.
“Thousands of workers and drivers are protesting on roads as the spike in taxes has broken their back and almost brought business to a standstill,” Malik Nadeem Hussain, president of All Pakistan Public Transport Owners Federation, said while speaking to Arab News.
No official figures are available on the exact number buses, coasters and other means of public transport used by passengers to commute from one city to another.
However, unofficial figures collected by Arab News through different transport companies reveal that over 3,000 buses and coasters travel among various cities on a daily basis, carrying around 132,000 passengers and providing direct employment to over 10,000 people.
These passengers have been stranded since Tuesday, with many of them struggling to book trains and flights to move from one place to another.
The government, meanwhile, is yet to negotiate with the transporters to end the strike.
“My wife had an appointment with a doctor in Karachi for Thursday,” Akmal Shahzad, a resident of Rawalpindi, told Arab News. “Now there is no way for us to travel since we are not getting seats in trains.”
Shahzad said his wife was facing a serious kidney issue and needed to see the doctor at the earliest.
“We cannot afford air tickets,” he continued. “The government should look into the issue and address it as soon as possible.”
Hussain, the president of the federation of transport owners, said the recent tax hikes had no longer left the business viable, especially after sharp increases in fuel prices.
He informed that the government had increased the per-seat income tax from Rs300 to Rs8,000 along with a hike in value and registration taxes.
“Half of our fleet has already been parked due to the sky-high fuel prices,” he added. “These taxes are unbearable. We cannot afford to operate inter-city buses anymore.”
Hussain maintained no public transporter would be able to survive in the market after such heavy taxes.
“We fully understand the inconvenience caused to the public due to our strike,” he noted, “but we are left with no option but to protest.”
The federal government said it was willing to cooperate with public transporters and listen to all their genuine demands to facilitate travelers.
“We will definitely take up the issue with the finance ministry to resolve it as soon as possible,” Shahida Akhtar Ali, parliamentary secretary for communications, told Arab News.
