Fuel prices: Goods transporters warn of nationwide strike

KARACHI: Malik Shehzad Awan, President of the Goods Transport Association, has strongly rejected the government’s decision to revise petroleum product prices on a daily basis, calling the move unacceptable and damaging to the transport industry.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) issued a notification revising petroleum prices for July 21, reducing the petrol price by Re0.35 per litre while increasing the price of high-speed diesel by Rs5.71 per litre.

In a statement, he condemned the proposed daily fuel pricing mechanism, stating that frequent changes in petroleum prices would create serious uncertainty for transport operators and increase operational costs.

Awan warned that the government’s “flawed policies,” particularly the continued increase in diesel prices, could bring the country’s goods transport sector to a standstill. He urged transporters across Pakistan to remain prepared, saying a nationwide strike could be announced at any time if their concerns are not addressed.

Asserting the importance of diesel to the national economy, he called on the government to immediately reduce diesel prices, arguing that the country’s economic activity largely depends on road freight transportation.

Read more: Petrol price in Pakistan for July 21, 2026

He also demanded the withdrawal of recent increases in toll tax and withholding tax, describing them as an additional financial burden on transport operators.

Criticizing the government’s policies as “anti-transporter,” Awan urged chambers of commerce and business federations to play an active role in protecting the interests of the transport sector.

He further stated that neither the federal nor the provincial governments have provided any meaningful relief to goods transporters. He called for concessions in motorway charges, traffic fines, toll taxes, and withholding taxes to help ease the industry’s financial pressures.

Awan warned that the government’s current policies are leaving transporters with no option but to consider a nationwide strike. He said that if the government fails to review and revise its policies, the goods transport sector will launch countrywide protest action.