Goods, private public transport shuts down against traffic fines, FIRs

Against the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025, excessive fines and FIRs on drivers, a wheel-jam strike erupted across Punjab and Sindh on Monday, bringing both public and goods transport to a halt. 

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the shutdown paralysed movement in major cities, disrupted supply chains and left passengers stranded as transport associations united in protest.

The Pakistan Transport Muttahida Action Committee (PTMAC) has presented fourteen demands to the Punjab government, including the withdrawal of the new traffic ordinance, while twelve additional demands have been submitted to the federal government. 

Transport leaders warned that if authorities failed to respond, a nationwide strike would begin on December 10.

In Lahore, public and goods transporters parked their vehicles in response to the united call, choking access to bus terminals and disrupting the flow of essential commodities into city markets. 

Passengers complained of severe hardship as buses became scarce; some private companies continued limited service but were unable to meet the heavy demand.

In Karachi, the Grand Transport Alliance Pakistan staged a complete shutdown, parking freight vehicles at major truck stands, including Mauripur, and halting all loading and unloading at factories, warehouses and the port. 

Alliance President Imdad Naqvi said transport operations would remain suspended until all demands were met. He alleged that vehicles were being impounded in Punjab and drivers were being detained, adding that amendments to the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965 had unfairly targeted the heavy transport sector.

Naqvi demanded that all heavy-traffic vehicle (HTV) drivers be issued licences promptly, and that mobile licensing units be deployed along national highways to process applications on the spot. 

He also urged the Punjab government to accept fitness certifications issued by other provinces, arguing that only the use of quality diesel could resolve concerns over emissions. Fitness and route permit systems, he said, should be centralised nationwide.

The strike’s impact extended deep into southern Punjab. In Multan, goods transporters parked their vehicles in protest against heavy fines, severely disrupting supply chains. 

Demonstrators demanded immediate amendments to the ordinance and uniform weight limits for all commercial vehicles, vowing to continue the shutdown until their demands were accepted. 

In Bahawalpur, transport services at the main bus stand were fully suspended, cutting off intercity routes. Commuters, including government employees travelling early in the morning, faced major difficulties. 

A similar shutdown took place in Dera Ghazi Khan, where transporters denounced the Rs15,000 fine as an unbearable burden on working-class drivers.

Addressing a press conference at PTMAC’s Lahore office in Babu Sabu yesterday, Chairman Ismatullah Khan Niazi said the protest had originally been planned for Punjab alone but had now expanded nationwide as transport bodies across Pakistan joined in solidarity. 

Chaudhry Sher Ali, president of the Mini Muzda Goods Transport Association Pakistan, said transporters would not back down until their rights were secured. 

PGTA President Malik Shehbaz Awan said that a 72-hour ultimatum given to the Punjab government had expired without progress, prompting the countrywide shutdown. He warned that if negotiations failed, a broader nationwide strike would commence on December 10.

All Pakistan Goods Transport Association President Tariq Gujjar said that oil tanker operators and local public transporters had also joined the protest, and that port operations would be suspended from Monday evening.

 Transport leaders accused the government of forcing their hand, citing thousands of FIRs filed under the Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025 and alleging that impounded vehicles were filling police stations across the province. 

Khanzada Khan Mehsud, senior vice chairman of the Oil Tankers Association, said many operators were being pushed to the brink of bankruptcy.

On the other hand, responding to the strike, Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar had already said that enforcement of road safety laws was essential. “A strike means school vans keep overturning and children keep dying, and no one is held accountable,” he said. 

He insisted that the zero-tolerance policy on traffic violations would continue, adding that vehicles kept off the road in protest would not be allowed back without compliance and may be seized.

Reporters: Tahir Jameel Khan, Baseem Iftikhar, Ahmar Khan and Iqbal Sadiq