A countrywide strike by goods transporters and oil tankers began on Saturday, August 9, 2026, and is already disrupting industrial and export supply chains across Pakistan.
According to the Pakistan Goods Transporters Alliance, more than 400,000 goods-carrying vehicles of all sizes have stopped moving. Alliance Chairman Nisar Hussain Jafry said the strike will continue until Monday’s talks with ministers for petroleum, transport and ports.
Transporters are protesting the government’s daily fuel price system. They say daily changes make it hard to fix transport charges because trips between cities take one to three days. They want the old monthly fuel price system restored and the withholding tax on transporters cut from 7% to 2%. Oil tankers already pay only 2%. They also complain about high toll rates, too many toll plazas (about every 30 km), parking problems near ports and driving licence issues. A charter of demands signed in December 2025 has not been fully implemented, they claim.
Industrialists are worried. SITE Association of Industry President Abdul Rehman Fudda said factories depend on timely delivery of raw materials and finished goods. If the strike continues, production may stop, export orders may be delayed, and companies could face penalties or financial losses. This would also hurt jobs and the wider economy.