Goods transport owners demand release of containers seized by Islamabad police

ISLAMABAD: Goods transporters have urged the Ministry of Interior to order the release of container vehicles seized by Islamabad police ahead of the PTI’s planned long march to the capital on September 27.

The PTI, backed by the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP), has announced the march to protest what it describes as the “illegal” detention of party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and to demand his release.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday decided to constitute a larger bench to hear a petition challenging the planned PTI protest. The court described the matter as sensitive and noted that it could have constitutional implications.

In a statement issued Wednesday, All Pakistan Goods Transport Owners Association President Muhammad Owais Chaudhry said Islamabad police had taken around 100 container vehicles into custody from areas including Sangjani and Tarnol.

He said the vehicles were apparently being held for possible use in blocking roads during the expected protest.

Chaudhry called on authorities to release the privately owned vehicles and instead rent empty containers available in and around Islamabad if road blockades were considered necessary.

He said some impounded vehicles had allegedly been left in isolated locations, while containers had reportedly been removed from certain trucks, resulting in financial losses for their owners. According to him, transporters had also been forced to remove cargo from the containers because authorities were not accepting responsibility for potential damage or losses.

The association further said it had received complaints that some seized vehicles and containers were allegedly released after payments were made, while others remained in police custody. It called for a transparent investigation into these allegations.

The association stressed that individual political affiliations among transporters should not be linked to the commercial sector’s concerns. It said the vehicles were used for trade and economic activity and should not be diverted for police security operations.

The transporters warned that forcibly using commercial vehicles for political or security purposes could create an impression of state coercion and urged the government to stop the practice.