ISLAMABAD: Goods transporters on Wednesday demanded that the Ministry of Interior release containers detained by Islamabad police ahead of the PTI’s scheduled Islamabad long march at the end of the month.
The PTI, with the confidence and support of the opposition alliance — Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) — has announced a long march towards Islamabad against what it calls the “illegal” detention of party founder and ex-premier Imran Khan and to demand his release.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday decided to form a larger bench to hear a petition against the PTI’s planned protest, terming the matter sensitive and observing that it could have constitutional implications.
In a statement on Wednesday, All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association President Muhammad Owais Chaudhry expressed concern over the seizure of container vehicles by Islamabad police, saying that the vehicles and containers should not be used for political purposes or to block roads during possible political activity on September 27.
He said that around 100 container vehicles had been taken into custody from different areas of Islamabad, mainly Sangjani and Tarnol, the statement said.
“The containers were being kept to possibly to block roads during the anticipated protest.”
“What we demand is that there are a large number of containers available for rent in and around the federal capital — the Islamabad police or the administration should rent empty containers and use them as they wish,” Chaudhry was quoted as saying.
He added that some impounded vehicles had reportedly been parked in deserted areas, while containers had allegedly been removed from certain vehicles, causing financial losses and business difficulties for their owners.
“We had to facilitate the transporters in removing the goods from the containers — because the authorities do not take responsibility for the loss or damage to the cargo,” he added.
Meanwhile, the association said it had received complaints from transporters alleging that some seized vehicles and containers were released after money was paid, while several others remained in police custody.
It demanded a transparent investigation into the allegations and said the transporters had political affiliations on an individual basis. Their opposition to the impounding of vehicles, it added, should not be construed as a political link with the PTI, as the commercial vehicles were meant for trade and economic activity, “not for safety and security purposes of the police department”.
The association also warned the government against impounding the vehicles, saying their forced use for political purposes created “an impression of state coercion”.
