Talks between the government and goods transporters have failed, with transporters deciding to continue their strike. Talks were held in Islamabad and were attended by Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister for Petroleum Pervaiz Ali Malik, the Minister for Ports and Shipping, and a representative of the Ministry of Finance, according to media reports.
The All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance, led by its President Malik Shahzad Awan, also participated in the talks. Other alliance leaders, including Chaudhry Qamar Zaman Gul, Malik Shabbar Khan, Nisar Hussain Jafri, Imdad Hussain Naqvi, and Chaudhry Owais, were present. However, the negotiations between the government and the goods transporters remained unsuccessful, with the deadlock continuing.
Following the talks, President of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance Malik Shahzad Awan said that the deadlock with the federal and Sindh governments remained unresolved. He said that no significant progress had been made on the transporters’ demands and that, as a result, they had decided to continue their protest.
Malik Shahzad Awan said that the protest would not end until their demands were accepted. He added that the transporters would not compromise on their demands and that detailed discussions had been held with representatives of both the federal and Sindh governments. Despite these negotiations, the two sides could not reach an agreement on several key issues.
He said the government would have to take serious and practical steps to end the deadlock. Despite assurances from the government, he said, no meaningful progress had been made. The protest would therefore continue until the transporters’ demands were approved. He further stated that the transporters would continue their peaceful struggle to secure their rights and legitimate demands.
However, Malik Shahzad Awan clarified that the doors for negotiations remained open, but stressed that clear progress on the transporters’ demands was necessary. He urged the government to find an immediate and permanent solution to the transporters’ problems, saying that the protest had now entered a decisive phase.
Meanwhile, transporters at Port Qasim parked their vehicles in response to the call for a peaceful strike issued by Malik Shahzad Awan, President of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance. The transporters said their peaceful strike would continue indefinitely until their demands were met.