LAHORE: The goods transporters’ strike entered its fifth day on Wednesday with no resolution in sight, after another round of talks between the Punjab government’s negotiating team and transporter representatives ended without agreement.

The government team met various goods transporter delegations at Transport House. It comprised Transport Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch, Provincial Transport Authority Secretary Hassan Ahsan, RTA Secretary Rana Mohsin, and Chief Traffic Officer Abdul Raheem Sherazi.

Transporters used the meeting to restate their demands and announced they would keep the wheels stopped until those demands are met.

Their core demand is the withdrawal of the decision to revise petroleum product prices on a daily basis — a mechanism introduced after fuel markets turned volatile. They are also seeking a 50 per cent reduction in token, toll and transfer fees, and want mini-Mazda vehicles legally reclassified as two-axle vehicles, which would change how they are taxed and regulated.

Transporters said the strike will not be called off until there is meaningful movement on these points.

Officials and transporter representatives were expected to hold a further round of talks the same day in an attempt to break the deadlock. With the strike now stretching into a working week, pressure is building on supply chains feeding Lahore’s wholesale markets ahead of the Independence Day holidays.

(Reporter Tahir Jameel)