The Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance has announced that its ongoing strike will continue until the government issues an official notification addressing the transporters’ demands.
Speaking in Karachi, Alliance President Malik Shehzad Awan said all loading and unloading activities at the country’s ports remain suspended. He added that container terminals at Port Qasim and Karachi Port are already operating at nearly 80 per cent capacity.
Awan warned that prolonged disruption could create a serious bottleneck. He said container terminals may soon run out of space to accommodate additional cargo if the strike continues.
According to the alliance chief, negotiations with a government committee are scheduled for noon today. He said discussions have already taken place with the negotiation committees representing both the federal and Punjab governments.
Read: Pakistan Transporters Threaten Highway Blockades Over Unresolved Grievances
Awan stated that officials from the federal and Punjab governments have shown willingness to accept the transporters’ demands. However, he stressed that the strike will not be called off until a formal and written notification is issued.
Goods transporters have raised concerns over the detention of drivers in several parts of Punjab. They have also criticised recent amendments to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965, which they say have led to stricter regulations for heavy transport vehicles.
The alliance has further demanded that heavy transport vehicle licences be issued to drivers and called for the deployment of mobile driving licence authority units along national highways. These mobile units, they argue, would enable on-the-spot licence issuance and help ease operational challenges for drivers.
Transporters say they remain open to dialogue but insist that concrete action, rather than verbal assurances, is required to resolve the dispute.
