Goods transporters have called on the federal and Punjab governments to immediately release hundreds of trucks and containers they say were forcibly detained by police in Islamabad and Rawalpindi ahead of a political protest scheduled for September 27.
Goods Transport Ittehad President Shahzad Awan said Islamabad and Punjab police had taken control of around 700 vehicles and containers as part of security measures ahead of the demonstration.
“Our vehicles and containers have been taken to stop the protest of a political party on September 27,” Awan said.
He warned that many of the detained containers were carrying valuable commercial shipments, including food products and supplies destined for major industries.
“There are crores of rupees goods in 700 containers,” Awan said, adding that transporters feared both the cargo and their vehicles could be damaged while in police custody.
The transport body has demanded that the federal and Punjab governments order the immediate return of the vehicles, arguing that the detentions risk significant financial losses for transport operators and businesses awaiting their shipments.
Awan warned that the transporters would decide on further action if their demand was not addressed.
“We will soon announce our line of action if the containers and our other vehicles won’t release immediately,” he said.
There was no response from Islamabad or Punjab police included in the report regarding the transporters’ allegations or the number of vehicles said to have been detained.