Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 24 (ANI): Punjab Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora has written to the Union Government urging intervention in the matter related to the frozen work visas for foreign truck drivers, particularly Punjabis, with the United States government.

In his letter sent on Saturday, Arora mentioned that the step taken by the US government following the highway accident in Florida, which involved a Punjabi-origin driver, has put the livelihood of 1.5 lakh Punjabi drivers in danger.

He further appealed to the Minister of External Affairs and Indian Embassy to initiate a dialogue with the US Government. The Minister mentioned that the whole Punjabi community is being punished based on one incident.

Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal had written to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, urging him to raise the issue of frozen work visas for foreign truck drivers, particularly Punjabis, with the US government.

Badal said that one tragic accident involving a Punjabi driver should not lead to mass action against the entire community, which has long supported the US trucking industry.

In a post on X, Harsimrat Kaur Badal shared her letter and wrote, 'Today I appealed to @DrSJaishankarto take up the issue of freezing the work visas of all foreign truck drivers following a fatal crash involving a Punjabi trucker with the US govt. Also urged the external affairs minister to take steps to allay the fears of Punjabis that those in the trucking industry may be forced to leave the US. Any mass level action against them would be discriminatory in nature considering the fact that Punjabis have built and sustained trucking logistics and trucking networks over decades.'

Meanwhile, on August 22, the US Government paused the issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers in the United States, citing reasons of road safety and loss of jobs for Americans at the hands of foreign drivers as reasons.

The announcement was made by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio through an 'X' post.

'Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,' the post read. (ANI)