Goods transporters on Wednesday announced an end to their nationwide strike after successful negotiations with the Sindh, Punjab and federal governments, bringing relief to the country’s paralysed supply chain after 10 days of disruption.

Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance President Malik Shehzad Awan formally announced the withdrawal of the protest following talks held in Karachi.

Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab and Punjab Minister for Transport and Mass Transit Bilal Akbar visited the protest camp at the Gulbai truck terminal, where negotiations concluded successfully.

Addressing transporters, Malik Shehzad Awan said the protest had remained peaceful throughout its 10-day duration and was launched to press for legitimate demands.

He said written assurances had now been received from the Sindh, Punjab and federal governments, fulfilling the alliance’s key condition for ending the strike.

“We had made it clear that the protest would continue until our demands were accepted in writing,” he said, adding that allegations of political backing were baseless.

“Wherever injustice occurs, we raise our voice.”

He thanked the Sindh government, negotiating committees and the transporters’ community for their support.

Earlier, speaking at a press conference, Awan said transporters ensured that no roads were blocked during the protest, despite nationwide participation.

He claimed the unity of transporters had forced the government to engage in meaningful negotiations.

The strike, which began in Karachi, severely disrupted commercial and trade activities across the country.

The suspension of goods movement paralysed the national supply chain, caused heavy losses to exporters, and brought operations at major ports to a standstill, leaving thousands of containers stranded.

Talks held a day earlier in Karachi between transporters and committees representing the federal and Punjab governments — involving port and shipping authorities, motorway police, the National Highway Authority, Federal Board of Revenue customs officials, and Karachi Port Trust — had failed to yield results.

Punjab talks yield concessions

Separately, negotiations between transporters and the Punjab government in Lahore also concluded successfully on Wednesday, with agreements reached on fines, vehicle length regulations and bus route permits.

According to sources, the fine for commercial vehicles has been reduced from Rs15,000 to Rs4,000.

Authorities also approved increasing the permitted length of Mazda vehicles from 20 feet to 38 feet.

In addition, the validity of bus route permits has been extended from one year to two years.

Transporters welcomed the decisions, and official notifications are expected to be issued soon.

It may be recalled that following successful talks with the Punjab government on December 12, goods transporters had already announced the end of the strike in Punjab.

After the negotiations, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz formed a high-level committee to address transporters’ issues, headed by Senior Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, with representatives of the transporters’ community included.

The senior minister had said the government was committed to resolving issues through dialogue while ensuring public safety and improved conditions for citizens.