Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], August 23 (ANI): Former India hockey captain and Congress MLA Pargat Singh appealed to the Central Government to immediately intervene in the matter of the temporary ban imposed on work visas for truck drivers in the US.

In a statement, Pargat Singh said that whether it is Canada or America, the youth of Punjab are the backbone of transport in countries like England and Australia.

'The strict order of America regarding this will directly affect the families of Punjab and it will also have a direct impact on the foreign reserves of the country. Punjabis settled abroad are the backbone of India's foreign reserves,' he added.

Voicing his concern, Pargat Singh said, 'This decision has put the Punjabi immigrant community and their families in deep uncertainty.'

Pargat Singh added, 'Punjabi immigrants have earned respect all over the world with their hard work and honesty. Our Punjabi brothers are the backbone of the trucking industry in America. Still, the sudden visa freeze has deeply affected their livelihood and the economic security of thousands of families in Punjab.'

He appealed to the Indian government to immediately take up this matter at the diplomatic level and communicate with the US to provide relief to truck drivers of Punjabi and Indian origin. He said that this is not only a matter of Punjab but also of the country's image.

Pargat Singh added, 'This is not a matter of politics, but a question of livelihood and dignity of thousands of families. The earnings of NRIs are the support of Punjab's villages, farms and homes. When every truck stops in America, a family in Punjab is worried.'

In the statement, he assured that Congress will always stand with the NRI community and raise their issues on every platform. 'Punjab has a global identity and the security of our identity and our people is our biggest responsibility.'

The reaction came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States would temporarily halt issuing worker visas to commercial truck drivers, citing concerns related to road safety and job protection for American truckers.

'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 US roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,' Rubio announced in a post on X. (ANI)