LAHORE: There is still no breakthrough. All Pakistan Goods Transport Ittehad President Malik Shahzad Awan said the deadlock with the federal and Sindh governments remains firmly in place despite negotiations, with no conclusive progress on the transporters’ demands.

Awan said talks with the government had failed and that the decision has been taken to continue the protest. Detailed negotiations were held with representatives of both the federal and Sindh governments, he said, but the two sides could not reach agreement on the core issues. He argued the government must take serious steps to break the impasse, adding that assurances have not translated into any practical movement.

The transporters, he said, will not retreat a single step from their demands, and the protest will continue until they are accepted. He stressed that the door to negotiation has not been closed, but that clear progress on the demands is essential.

Awan added that the government needs to find an immediate and permanent solution to transporters’ problems, and that the agitation will continue until there is written, actionable progress. The goods transport protest, he said, has entered a decisive phase.