Karachi (HRNW)- The second round of talks between the federal government and goods transporters has failed, with the nationwide strike entering its fifth day as transporters insist that the protest will continue until their demands are accepted in writing.
President of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Ittehad, Malik Shahzad Awan, said the strike is peaceful and aimed at securing the transporters’ legitimate demands. He stated that the strike would continue indefinitely until all demands are formally approved.
Malik Shahzad Awan said talks held with the committee headed by Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan, constituted on the instructions of the Prime Minister, failed to produce an agreement.
He warned that transporters would not end the strike on verbal assurances and said the protest would only be called off after their demands are fully approved in writing.
He further alleged that the federal and Sindh governments were not serious about resolving the transport sector’s problems. According to him, the ongoing strike has already entered its fifth day and is causing losses of billions of rupees, but authorities have yet to take sufficient steps to resolve the dispute.
The transporters’ representative said the strike would continue even if it took six months for their demands to be accepted.
During the first round of negotiations, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan had described the transporters’ demands as legitimate and assured them that progress would be made toward resolving their concerns.
Meanwhile, President of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association, Muhammad Owais Chaudhry Advocate, said the demands were legitimate, lawful and related to fundamental issues facing the transport sector.
He reiterated that the nationwide strike would not be called off until the transporters’ demands are formally accepted.
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