Despite the federal government’s vow to halt the project until further talks, protesters in Sindh have disregarded official promises and refused to lift their blockade over the planned canal projects on the Indus River, according to Dawn.

Pakistan’s supply network has been severely disrupted by the protracted protest, since thousands of cargo carriers are unable to continue.

Road restrictions have left between 10,000 and 15,000 trawlers, containers, vehicles, and oil tankers trapped in the Sukkur-Larkana division and close to Bahawalpur, according to remarks made by Tariq Gujjar, president of the Transport Goods Association (TGA), on Friday.

He said that drivers on the ground reported that the flow of goods, especially from Sukkur to Larkana and subsequently to Bahawalpur, remained virtually paralyzed.

According to Gujjar, the stalled cars are transporting essential goods such as coal, fruits, vegetables, export and import consignments, sacrificial animals, and medications. He said that before ending their strike, the protesting attorneys in charge of the protests were waiting for an official notice to be sent on May 2. The blockage was predicted to last until then, endangering vital logistics.

The contentious canal project will be put on hold until a consensus is achieved at the next Council of Common Interests (CCI) meeting, which is set for May 2, the federal administration said Thursday.

Advocate Aamir Warraich, who was representing the attorneys who were protesting, met with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), on Friday night to settle the situation. But according to Dawn, no announcement had been made as of the time of publication indicating if the strike will be called off.

Prior to these events, the Transport Goods Association threatened to intensify their protest by parking their cars in the middle of the road and going on strike if safe passage was not offered to stranded vehicles by noon on April 25 at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club.

Murad Ali Shah, the chief minister of Sindh, urged the protesters to restore roadways and allow unhindered traffic flow. “Peaceful protests are acceptable, but public disruptions are not,” he said, highlighting the need for unity. He also cautioned that internal splitss may work in favor of enemies like India.

The blockade is already having a major economic effect. When taking into account a separate four-day truckers’ strike connected to new fitness certificate regulations, Jawed Bilwani, president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, calculated that Pakistan had lost more than PKR 500 billion (USD 1.8 billion) in export orders and domestic production over the previous 10 to 12 days.

Bilwani pointed out that Pakistan’s reputation with foreign purchasers was further harmed by the fact that sacrifice animals had perished during transport delays, textile exporters were missing important deadlines, and vital raw supplies were still stranded in transit.

The government’s verbal promises have been rejected by a number of political organizations in addition to the attorneys who are demonstrating. The general secretary of Sindh’s Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Rashid Mehmood Soomro, emphasized that the protests would not stop until the canal project was formally canceled in writing. According to Dawn, Advocate Vasand Thari, the central president of Awami Tehreek, said that the PPP was favoring Punjab’s interests above Sindh’s by taking the case to the CCI.

Moazzim Abbasi, a former congressman with the Grand Democratic Alliance, also called the federal government’s declaration a “lollipop,” promising that demonstrations would carry on until official notice was given.