Transporters across Punjab are staging a wheel-jam strike today (Monday) to protest heavy fines imposed under the Traffic Ordinance, 2025, warning their demonstration will continue until the provincial government withdraws the legislation.
The Pakistan Transport United Action Committee told a press conference on Sunday that the ordinance was “unfair” to transporters and was inflicting heavy fines on them. “Public transport will remain suspended until the ordinance is withdrawn,” they said, warning that goods transporters, minibuses, loaders, and rickshaws could also join them. Intra-city, inter-district, and inter-provincial transport services would remain suspended, they said.
The provincial government has already undertaken one round of talks with the transporters, with a second scheduled for today. However, Punjab Inspector General of Police Usman Anwar has said authorities would not bow to “blackmail” or pressure.
“Driving without a license is tantamount to inviting death and accidents,” he said, noting civilized countries uphold the law rather than countering it through protests. He said there can be no justification for driving without a valid license.
Since the new ordinance was introduced last week, police have issued nearly 64,000 challans for traffic violations, with fines of around Rs. 80 million. A police spokesperson said at least 28,000 tickets were issued in a single day for helmet violations alone.