Cargo transport owners in Pakistan demand release of containers
In Islamabad, Pakistan, cargo transport owners called on the Ministry of Interior to release containers and trucks that police had seized ahead of the planned march by the PTI party. As Dawn reports, industry representatives said that vehicles and containers should not be used for political purposes or to block roads during possible political activity on September 27.
About 100 seized vehicles
Muhammad Owais Chaudhry, president of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association, said Islamabad police had seized about 100 container trucks in different areas of the capital, mainly in Sangjani and Tarnol. According to him, the containers could have been held for the possible blocking of roads during the expected protest.
Chaudhry noted that there are many empty containers available for rent in Islamabad and its surroundings. He suggested that police or the administration rent them instead of seizing commercial transport.
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Complaints about losses and possible extortion
The association said that some seized vehicles were allegedly left in deserted places, while containers were removed from certain vehicles, according to the carriers. They said this caused financial losses and complicated the work of owners. Representatives of the association also said they had helped carriers unload goods from containers because the authorities do not assume responsibility for the possible loss or damage of cargo.
The association received complaints that some of the seized vehicles and containers had allegedly been released after money was paid, while others remain with the police. The carriers demand a transparent investigation into these claims. They stressed that objections to the seizure of transport do not mean a political affiliation with PTI, as commercial vehicles are intended for trade and economic activity.
PTI, supported by the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan, announced a march on Islamabad demanding the release of the party's founder and former prime minister Imran Khan, whose detention the party calls illegal. The Islamabad High Court decided to form an expanded bench to hear a petition against the planned protest, calling the case sensitive and one that may have constitutional implications.
