Goods transporters to continue strike as negotiations with govt end without resolution

Talks between the federal government and the All Pakistan Goods Transport Itehad ended on Tuesday without reaching a resolution, leaving the transporters' demands unsettled. The transporters had initiated a countrywide wheel-jam strike on Saturday, protesting the daily fixing of petrol and diesel prices, as well as other issues.

At the talks held at the Ministry of Communications in Islamabad, the transporters laid out their major demands. Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan pledged the government's full support in tackling the sector's challenges and resolving the issues. However, the meeting concluded without reaching any agreement or formally accepting the transporters' demands, prompting them to announce that their nationwide wheel-jam strike would persist until their demands were acknowledged.

Muhammad Owais Chaudhry, spokesman for the transporters' association, told Dawn that they would not abandon their "legitimate and legal" demands. He affirmed their readiness to continue negotiations with the government, but emphasized that the nationwide wheel-jam strike would persist until their demands were practically accepted.

Chaudhry revealed that the transporters had now decided to relocate their main protest camp to Karachi. Furthermore, the minister and other authorities would need to travel to the city for further discussions.

The transporters' principal demands encompassed effective and consistent implementation of the legally fixed axle-load limit, relief in taxes, revision of diesel prices based on monthly changes rather than frequent adjustments, and resolution of other challenges faced by the goods transport sector. Chaudhry reiterated that the doors for negotiations remained open, as the transporters sought a peaceful resolution to their grievances.

However, he stressed that the strike would not be lifted until the government conceded to their demands, reiterating, "The wheel-jam strike will continue until our demands are accepted."