Punjab Minister Urges Centre’s Action on U.S. Visa Halt for Truck Drivers

Fast Summary

• Punjab Industry Minister Sanjeev Arora has written too External Affairs Minister S.Jaishankar seeking intervention after the U.S. paused work visas for foreign truck drivers.
• The visa halt follows a tragic accident in Florida involving Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Punjabi truck driver accused of vehicular homicide after allegedly taking a wrong turn and causing three deaths.
• Harjinder Singh, originally from Tarn Taran district in Punjab, fled to California post-incident but was later arrested and brought back to Florida.
• U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the suspension of commercial driver work visas citing safety concerns and impact on American truckers’ livelihoods.
• Sanjeev arora highlighted that over 1.5 lakh Punjabis working as truck drivers in the U.S., critical to its supply chain sector, are adversely impacted by the blanket restriction.
• Arora argued against penalizing an entire community due to one individual’s alleged actions and requested diplomatic engagement for clarification on policy scope and duration.
• The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) also urged support for Harjinder Singh’s legal rights while emphasizing fears among Punjabi drivers over such incidents.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The temporary suspension of U.S. work visas for commercial truck drivers raises importent concerns impacting both Indian diaspora communities like Punjabi truckers and broader bilateral relations between India and America. While public safety laws must be upheld, broad measures penalizing entire communities may appear disproportionate considering their substantial contributions to sectors like logistics within the United States.India’s engagement with this matter via diplomatic channels could serve two vital purposes: addressing uncertainties faced by its diaspora abroad while softly advocating fairness in visa procedures without undermining accountability mechanisms necessary after accidents like those attributed to Harjinder Singh.

Furthermore, this situation underscores vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers globally when isolated incidents result in sweeping policy changes-highlighting an opportunity for India to establish stronger consular frameworks supporting overseas citizens during legal or occupational crises.

Read More: The Hindu