What happened
Talks between the federal government and the All Pakistan Goods Transport Ittehad ended without a resolution on Tuesday, with the transporters announcing that their nationwide wheel-jam strike would continue until their demands were accepted, Dawn reported.
Held at the Ministry of Communications in Islamabad, the talks covered the transporters’ major demands in detail. Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan assured the transporters of the government’s full cooperation in addressing their concerns and resolving the issues faced by the sector. However, the meeting concluded without any agreement or formal acceptance of the demands.
Talking to Dawn, Muhammad Owais Chaudhry, spokesman for the transporters’ association, said they would not withdraw their “legitimate and legal” demands. “We are ready to continue negotiations with the government, but the nationwide wheel-jam strike will continue until our demands are practically accepted,” he said. Chaudhry said the transporters had decided to move their main protest camp to Karachi, adding that the minister and other authorities would have to travel to the city for further talks.
The dispute
The goods transporters had announced the countrywide wheel-jam strike on Saturday over the daily fixing of petrol and diesel prices, among other issues. Their key demands included effective and uniform implementation of the legally prescribed axle-load limit, relief in taxes, revision of diesel prices on a monthly basis instead of frequent changes, and resolution of other issues confronting the goods transport sector.
An earlier Dawn report said the government side had been jointly led by Communications Minister Aleem Khan and Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik. The transporters’ first demand — raising the permissible weight for 10-wheeler vehicles to 35 tonnes from the current 27.5 tonnes and reducing toll tax rates — relates to the National Highways Authority and the communications ministry. Their second demand was that diesel pricing be revised monthly rather than daily, because frequent revisions disturb business planning. The third demand concerned customs duties and income tax.
A senior official in the government negotiating team said the daily fuel adjustment had been made because of volatility in international markets and was not a local issue, while the government was considering lowering toll tax for heavy vehicles and amending the axle load.
Why it matters
The strike disrupted cargo movement across the country for a third consecutive day as oil tankers, edible oil tankers, trailers and goods transport trucks stayed off the road. In Karachi, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that a prolonged suspension of cargo movement would hit industrial production, supply chains, exports and overall economic activity. KCCI President Muhammad Rehan Hanif urged the federal and all provincial governments to engage the transport sector at the highest level and said the chamber was ready to act as a mediator.
Pakistan Textile Council Chairman Fawad Anwar, in a letter to the prime minister, said the strike could severely affect the textile and apparel supply chains and export shipments, and asked that the relevant authorities and transporters be brought together to secure an early resolution.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details and the quoted remarks are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 11 August 2026.
- Dawn — "Goods transporters to continue strike as negotiations with govt end without resolution"11 August 2026 · The latest round of talks, the transporters' demands and the move to Karachi.
- Dawn — "Goods, oil transporters strike continues"11 August 2026 · The third day of the strike, the government negotiating team, the axle-load and fuel-pricing demands and the industry warnings.
