ISLAMABAD: Pakistani transporters said Thursday police continued holding freight vehicles and fear of further seizures had reduced deliveries toward Islamabad and northern Punjab, ahead of an opposition protest march demanding former prime minister Imran Khan’s release.

Authorities seized freight vehicles and placed shipping containers across roads and approaches to Islamabad to block routes protesters could use to reach the capital ahead of the march originally scheduled for Sept. 27. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party postponed the march until Oct. 4, but the transporters’ association says vehicles remain detained despite assurances that loaded trucks would be returned.

The measures also affect businesses that rely on those vehicles and roads to move goods: trucks held for security operations cannot make deliveries while roadblocks can delay cargo and discourage further dispatches. Transporters and traders previously warned that detained vehicles carried food, medicine and other commercial cargo, with perishable goods at risk of spoiling.

Authorities have rejected concerns about supply disruption and promised compensation.

“Transporters have significantly reduced sending vehicles toward Upper Punjab and Islamabad because of the fear of these seizures and harassment,” Muhammad Owais Chaudhry, president of the All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association, said in a video statement.

Chaudhry said Islamabad police had released loaded vehicles following the association’s demands but continued holding empty trucks.

“And in Punjab, despite making promises until now, the loaded vehicles have still not been released,” he said.

Thursday’s statement did not give an updated count of detained vehicles, quantify the decline in dispatches or identify particular consignments still held in Punjab. The association’s account could not be independently verified.

RELEASE AND COMPENSATION PROMISES

In reporting published by Arab News on Sept. 25, Chaudhry estimated that around 2,000 freight vehicles had been impounded in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and nearby districts, with some held since Sept. 6.

A senior government official involved in discussions with transporters said last week that containers used for security operations were empty and that any loaded vehicles would be returned that day.

“As per my information the containers are empty. If there is by any chance any loaded container, the transporters will get it back today,” the official said at the time, requesting anonymity.

The official also said owners would be compensated and rejected warnings of supply disruption.

“Major motorways and highways are open. There is no supply issue,” he said.

Chaudhry called on federal and Punjab authorities to disclose how many vehicles they required, how many had been seized and whether further seizures were planned.

“Our demand from the government is that you make a clear policy and tell the public and the transporters how many vehicles you needed, how many you have taken into custody, and how many more are still required,” he said.

Chaudhry urged authorities to provide food, drinking water and adequate rest arrangements for drivers remaining with detained vehicles, and sought compensation for losses caused by the confrontation between the government and political parties.

The opposition march is scheduled to travel from Peshawar, capital of the PTI-governed northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, toward Islamabad. Federal authorities say restrictions are necessary to protect lives and property, citing disruption and violence during previous protests.

Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 and faces multiple criminal cases. He denies wrongdoing, while his party says the prosecutions are politically motivated. The government denies interfering in judicial proceedings.

Previous protests seeking Khan’s release have sometimes turned violent, including a November 2024 march on Islamabad that ended in deadly clashes with security forces.