PESHAWAR: Representatives of various goods transport associations have announced a complete wheel-jam strike on December 8 in protest against what they described as anti-transport measures introduced by the Punjab government.

Speaking at a press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Friday, leaders of the associations including Haji Waheed Mohmand, vice president Haji Aurangzeb, general secretary Shahid Aijaz and other office-bearers including Kamran Shah, Haji Pir Muhammad, Haji Haider Shah and Mumtaz Khan, said the strike would extend from Karachi to Khyber.

Haji Waheed Mohmand said a protest camp would also be set up at Attock, adding that the amendments made to the Punjab Vehicle Ordinance had been rushed through the provincial assembly without consultation. He argued that the unilateral changes amounted to an “economic murder” of goods transporters operating from Gilgit-Baltistan to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The leaders complained that the Punjab’s traffic authorities were issuing fines ranging from Rs15,000 to Rs60,000 on various pretexts including vehicle fitness and documentation, which they alleged were being used as tools for harassment. They added that transporters were now forced to pay more in fines, even more than their earnings. According to them, the burden of these penalties had pushed many small transporters into a severe financial crisis.

Haji Waheed Mohmand stated that no small or large goods vehicle would operate on December 8 and that the strike would continue until the Punjab government amendments were withdrawn. He said 75 per cent of investment in the goods transport sector belonged to people from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, yet “discriminatory measures” by the Punjab government had made it nearly impossible for them to operate.

The associations also announced to approach courts against the ordinance.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2025