Oil tanker operators in Jammu and Kashmir Tuesday evening decided to withdraw their indefinite strike following an assurance from Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to appeal against a court order prohibiting movement of old vehicles in the state.

As the daylong hectic parleys of the transporters with the inspector general (Traffic) and divisional administration failed to yield any result, Azad invited them for talks.

After a 30-minute meeting with the chief minister, leaders of the oil tankers association announced withdrawal of the strike, which had begun Saturday and threatened to cripple the state's road transport.

The tanker operators' associations were protesting the Oct 28 notification issued by the Jammu and Kashmir State Transport Authority banning commercial vehicles older than 15 years, after a directive from the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

Official sources said that Azad assured the transporters that the government would appeal before the Supreme Court against the order of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

The High Court order, issued Oct 28, is to come into effect Dec 28.

Before the strike was called off, it was threatening to bring road transport in the state to a standstill as almost 70 percent of the petrol pumps ran out of supply Tuesday.

According to transport authorities, all petrol pumps in Kathua and Udhampur districts were dry.

In Jammu 95 percent fuel stations were out of stock by Monday evening and in Srinagar five out of the 20 petrol pumps were dry.

The public transport system was almost on the verge of collapse in Jammu with 27 of the 35 petrol pumps in Jammu city dry.