ISLAMABAD: Islamabad police have seized nearly 1,000 commercial shipping containers ahead of two major political protests planned in Pakistan’s capital this month, transporters said on Thursday, accusing authorities of illegally impounding vehicles and disrupting freight operations.

The arrangements come as the religious-political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) prepares to march on Islamabad on Sept. 20 to demand the total abolition of the government’s petroleum levy, a tax imposed on fuel that has become a major source of federal revenue, while former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party plans a massive convergence on Sept. 27 to press for his release from prison.

The pre-emptive measures have triggered severe business disruptions and an outcry from the freight sector, with industry representatives accusing police of “illegally” confiscating cargo and exposing private property to potential mob violence without security or compensation.

“Today marks 12 days since the Islamabad Police illegally seized nearly 1,000 containers belonging to our transporters,” Muhammad Owais Chaudhry Advocate, President of the All-Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association, told Arab News.

“These containers have been forcibly and illegally taken into custody without our permission... Most of these containers are loaded with goods worth tens of millions of rupees, and that cargo is also at risk because they are being used to block roads, placed in front of crowds and exposed to mobs,” he added.

At the Faizabad intersection, a key entry point connecting Islamabad to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, freight drivers recounted being detained and having their personal items confiscated.

“They took the keys from me, they took all the documents as well,” said Shani Gujjar, a truck driver whose loaded vehicle was impounded.

He added that the drivers of the seized vehicles had gone to a nearby police station but were not getting a clear response about when their trucks would be allowed to go.

Mohammad Ishfaq, owner of a vehicle, said the authorities made the drivers wait for hours.

“They took their mobile phones, documents, and license,” he told Arab News after arriving from Mansehra to locate his vehicle.

Islamabad police and the district administration didn’t respond to requests for comment on the seizure of vehicles.

The seizure of containers comes amid stalled talks between the government and opposition leaders over rising energy costs. Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded an immediate end to the petroleum levy, calling it an unfair burden on citizens already struggling with high inflation.

“We held negotiations with the government yesterday, and it was our final round,” Jamaat-e-Islami leader Salman Sheikh told Arab News. “If the petroleum levy is not abolished, we will march toward Islamabad on the 20th, as told by our party chief. The levy is an extortion tax and must be abolished at all costs.”

Arab News reached out to members of the government’s negotiating team, including federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Bilal Azhar Kayani and Ali Pervez Malik, but they did not respond to requests for comment.

One of the sources present during the negotiations said, however, the opposition party’s demand seemed structurally impossible under the country’s current financial bailout conditions.

“Regarding the petroleum levy, the government maintained a clear stance that since we are currently under an IMF program, we cannot reduce it,” the source told Arab News on condition of anonymity, referring to the $7 billion International Monetary Fund loan program. “Abolishing the petroleum levy effectively means shutting down the federal government. The demand to abolish the petroleum levy is simply not doable, they were told.”

The source added that the government team apprised the Jamaat-e-Islami team of the government’s relief package.

The government this week approved a Rs75 billion ($271 million) fuel relief program offering a Rs100-per-liter petrol subsidy to motorcycle and three-wheeler users on up to 20 liters a month and owners of cars with engines up to 800cc on up to 30 liters.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik told petroleum dealers on Thursday that funds for the scheme had been allocated for three months, with Rs25 billion for the first month already provided to the State Bank of Pakistan.