ISLAMABAD: Textile stakeholders have warned that the transporters strike could result in severe repercussions for the industry, especially after nine days of the nationwide strike by transporters resulted in losses worth approximately USD 900 million for exports and ancillary businesses. The warning comes following figures released by the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, indicating substantial financial losses to Pakistan’s textile industry. Industry insiders maintain that the logistics issue has morphed into a larger economic problem for the nation.
Transporters Strike: PTEA Details the Scale of the Damage
Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Patron-in-Chief Khurram Mukhtar stated that the losses incurred due to the strikes were mounting by the day, including missed opportunities for exports, lost buyer confidence, stranded raw material stocks, and shortage of factory inventories.
"PTEA estimates losses of almost USD 900 million worth of exports and associated business, missed shipments, lost buyer confidence, stranded raw material stocks, and factory shortages. Our domestic businesses are equally paralyzed as well with no ability to transport goods across provincial borders."
Mukhtar argued that what began as a transporters’ issue had evolved into an economic dilemma for Pakistan. He emphasized that “each passing day costs Pakistan in millions that it might incur in future. It is imperative that both sides end their dispute as quickly as possible; otherwise someone needs to claim responsibility sooner or later.” Industry executives have realized how important it is to resolve the stalemate caused by the transporters’ strike within the textiles sector.
In another development, the Pakistan Textile Council (PTC) approached the Prime Minister seeking immediate action and mediation to end the ongoing nationwide strike that began on August 8, 2026. The PTC Chairman, Fawad Anwar, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister explaining the reliance of the textile sector on smooth logistic operations regarding the delivery of imported/exported goods and local inputs to manufacturers.
Fawad explained that without logistics support, there would be severe issues related to the supply chain of both local production activities and international shipping of export orders. "We cannot ship exports from one place to another; we have import shipments stuck at ports, and our domestically produced inputs are having problems arriving at the factories," he said.
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APTMA, representing Pakistan’s textiles and garments industry, expressed serious worries about the impact of this strike on their industry. As per statements made by Kamran Arshad, Chairman of APTMA, the strike had caused immense harm to Pakistan’s textiles and garments industry due to the suspension of freight services.
Arshad explained that his industry relied heavily on the smooth transit of raw materials such as cotton, yarn, fabrics, dyes, chemicals, accessories, spare parts for machines, and export shipments. Due to the strike, many export consignments were being delayed and were unable to be delivered on time to the foreign clients, causing exporters severe inconvenience.
Pakistan's reputation among overseas customers could be jeopardized due to any delays related to export consignments, which would ultimately result in canceled orders, penalties, and even loss of clientele, warns Arshad.
Considering that the textile industry was already struggling due to high electricity prices, liquidity constraints, and stiff competition from neighboring nations, Pakistan's apparel industry could hardly sustain another hit against its logistics network, Arshad emphasized.
Recalling disruptions faced by exporters during the previous twelve months, Arshad argued that such incidents undermined Pakistan's reliability and ability to retain international clients.
However, Arshad noted that despite this, the textile exports' share is above 60 percent, yet, they have stalled when there is an urgent need for increasing exports. "Further disruptions in the chain of textiles would definitely impact Pakistan's foreign exchange earnings, industry output, and jobs," he highlighted. In this regard, APTMA requested the federal government and relevant bodies to urgently hold talks with transporters to settle the dispute. Moreover, APTMA called for a waiver on all the detention and demurrage costs incurred due to the shutdown from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, port trust, and shipping companies.
Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, also sounded deeply concerned about the ongoing protests staged by transporters in the country's textile industry, emphasizing that any disturbance caused to Pakistan's exports will have direct ramifications for the nation's economy and its overall economic standing.
Speaking during an appearance on an episode of a popular morning current affairs program aired yesterday, the minister said many exporters faced cancellations of their export orders because of the ongoing logistics problem. According to Ahsan Iqbal, a major exporter had lost an order amounting to nearly USD 1 million.
He appealed to transporters’ unions to call off their protest movement and join negotiations with the government, which continues to be ready to negotiate towards reaching a peaceful settlement.
Using Bangladesh as an illustration, he explained that logistic services had not been halted even during political agitation, underscoring the importance of uninterrupted exports to maintain economic stability and international business trust. "In the same way that we have suffered greatly to acquire our nuclear capability, the mission of our nation now is to secure our exports. It is equally important for us as the acquisition of our nuclear capability," he added.
"The issue of resolving the truckers’ protest in the textiles industry should be treated as one of Pakistan's national priorities along with other economic initiatives of the government," he maintained.