KARACHI: A strike by public transport operators in Karachi will continue after talks with traffic police broke down, the head of a transporters’ union said on Saturday.

The wheel-jam strike has been observed in the metropolis since Thursday against heavy e-challans and other regulatory measures.

Citizens continued to face hardship due to the strike, with people in many city areas forced to use costly rickshaws and taxis.

Buses, minibuses and coaches largely stayed off the roads throughout the day, forcing thousands of commuters to seek alternative means of transport to reach workplaces and commercial centres.

Karachi Transport Ittehad (KTI) President Haji Tawab Khan told Dawn on Saturday that the strike would continue.

He said that a delegation of transporters held a meeting with DIG Traffic Peer Muhammad Shah and informed him of their issues.

“The DIG said reversing the e-challans was not under his authority,” he said, adding: “He, however, assured us that he would review the challans which transporters said were unjustified.”

Mr Tawab added that none of the transporters’ demands had been met and that, despite repeated requests to government officials, no meeting had been called.

The transporters have been protesting against heavy fines imposed under the e-challan system, the biometric verification process required for the transfer of vehicle ownership and the mandatory third-party insurance requirement, under which vehicle owners are required to pay around Rs12,000.

Published in Dawn, June 21st, 2026