LAHORE: Transport services across Punjab were brought to a standstill on Monday as transporters launched a wheel-jam strike against the newly enforced Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025, protesting heavy fines and a sharp rise in FIRs registered against drivers for traffic violations.
The strike, announced by the Pakistan Transport Muttahida Action Committee (PTMAC), rapidly spread across the province, disrupting public travel, goods movement, and commercial supply chains. Markets, loading points, and intercity routes reported severe disruption as vehicles remained off the roads.
PTMAC has submitted fourteen demands to the Punjab government, including the complete withdrawal of the new ordinance. Separately, transport associations have also placed twelve demands before the federal government. Transport leaders said repeated appeals for talks were ignored by the provincial authorities, leaving them with no option but to stage a protest.
At a press conference held at the committee’s office in Lahore’s Babu Sabu area, PTMAC Chairman Ismatullah Khan Niazi said the protest was initially limited to Punjab but had now expanded nationwide, with transporters from other provinces joining in solidarity.
Chaudhry Sher Ali, the central president of the Mini Muzda Goods Transport Association Pakistan, said transporters would remain united until their demands were accepted. Other association leaders present at the briefing echoed similar resolve and vowed to continue the shutdown.
Pakistan Goods Transport Alliance President Malik Shehbaz Awan, in a video message, said the Punjab government had been given a 72-hour ultimatum, but no progress was made. He said the failure of talks left transporters with no alternative but to enforce a complete shutdown.
He added that transport operations, including loading activities, were suspended across the country, including Karachi. He warned that if the government did not respond, a broader nationwide strike would begin on December 10.
All Pakistan Goods Transport Association President Tariq Gujjar said oil tanker operators and local public transporters had also joined the strike. He added that port-linked transport operations were set to be halted from Monday evening.
Transport leaders accused the government of excessive enforcement, claiming thousands of FIRs had been registered in Punjab under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025. They alleged that large numbers of vehicles were being held at police stations across the province.
Senior Vice Chairman of the Oil Tankers Association Khanzada Khan Mehsud urged the government to end what he described as harassment of transporters. He warned that continued pressure and penalties were pushing many operators toward financial collapse.
