- Truckers refuse to drive north fearing their vehicles will be seized
- It comes ahead of a march on Islamabad by ex-PM Khan’s party
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s effort to keep supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan out of the capital has led to a pileup of shipping containers in the nation’s main port of Karachi, 1,400 kilometers (870 miles)away.
Truckers are refusing to drive north, for fear their vehicles will be seized and the containers used to barricade Islamabad ahead of an Oct 4 march on the city planned by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposition party.
“Right now, going toward Punjab is like committing suicide. Because police stop vehicles at various locations, and at that point we can’t do anything in front of them,” said Javid ur Rehman, a truck driver.
Steel shipping containers, packed with sand and welded together, have lined the roads into Islamabad for weeks, in preparations against a march, postponed from Sept 27, to demand Khan’s release from prison.
The former cricket star was jailed in 2023 after being ousted by parliament. All convictions but one have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. His party remains under state scrutiny that has suppressed participation in recent protests.
Pakistan’s home, information, commerce and finance ministries did not respond to requests for comment. Punjab police and the provincial home department also did not respond.
The containers are positioned ready for placement at key entry points into Islamabad, a capital region larger than the southeast Asian city state of Singapore.
Transporters battling rising prices say they cannot afford to have trucks seized.
Police requisitioned more than 2,000 vehicles in September ahead of the march, they added, many still loaded with cargo and held for days with little or no compensation.
Their reluctance is leaving containers to pile up at Pakistan’s main trade gateway of Karachi.
“Our government is preparing to park loaded trucks carrying cargo in front of the areas where protests are due to take place. This is absolutely not welcomed anywhere in the world, nor is it being welcomed in Pakistan,” said Karachi Goods Carriers Association president Rana Muhammad Aslam.
“The import containers that are now arriving, their vehicles are stuck. There is a demurrage of Rs30,000 to Rs40,000 even Rs50,000 per day per container. So how will they cover this? We have never received any relief from the government.
Consumer prices rose 10.26 percent in September from a year earlier, while the transport price index climbed 27.43 percent, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on October 1.
The disruption was affecting routes to Islamabad, the military city of Rawalpindi, and the cities of Jhelum, Peshawar and Attock. Some operators had halted journeys beyond Gujranwala in Punjab, while others took alternative routes.
“Back home, our young children are waiting for us to earn and provide for them. But what can we earn by just standing around here?” said Sagheer Ahmed, another truck driver.
“Sometimes containers are placed on the roads. When the containers are removed, police don’t leave us alone. Where are we supposed to go?” he added. “May god show mercy. If the roads open, our children’s livelihood will resume. If not, we will just keep standing.
