Good transporters called off their days-long nationwide strike following successful negotiations with the government, after most of their demands had been met.
“We have called off our strike, which continued for 10 days. We have done this after the federal and provincial governments of Punjab and Sindh accepted our demands and signed the settlement document,” President of the Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance (PGTA) Malik Shehzad Awan said on Wednesday.
The PGTA is an organisation representing 20 major goods transport associations across the country.
According to Awan, during the dialogues, the government’s representatives agreed to reduce fines to a considerable level.
Similarly, demands related to axle load, problems with issuing heavy transport driving licenses, issues with customs authorities, motorway police, and disputed clauses of the Punjab Motor Vehicle Ordinance, among others, were also accepted.
Talking to Dawn, All Pakistan Truck Trailer Owners Association Chairman Lala Yasir Naseer said that goods transport resumed after the end of the strike.
“After being informed by our alliance, we have instructed our members to resume business activities,” he added.
The current wave of protests by transporters began in response to the enforcement of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025 on Dec 8, under which traffic authorities imposed increased fines, strict penalties, vehicle impoundment, and first information reports against drivers and transport operators.
Transport unions argued that the ordinance had been implemented without adequate consultation and had made routine transport operations financially unviable.
While negotiations temporarily eased tensions in some areas of Punjab on December 13, major transport bodies—including the All Pakistan Transport Federation and allied goods transport associations—expressed dissatisfaction with government assurances. They subsequently announced a nationwide wheel-jam strike on December 19.
Amid the demonstration, industrialists warned on Tuesday that each passing day was causing billions of rupees in trade and export losses.
Transporters said talks were underway with representatives of the federal and Punjab governments and relevant departments and claimed the federal and Punjab governments had acknowledged that their demands were justified.
