KARACHI: Pakistan’s efforts to keep supporters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan out of the capital have triggered an unexpected consequence: a mounting pileup of shipping containers at Karachi, the nation’s main port, some 1,400 kilometres away.
Truckers are refusing to drive north, fearing their vehicles will be seized and the containers used to barricade Islamabad ahead of an October 4 march on the city planned by Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) opposition party.
Steel shipping containers, packed with sand and welded together, have lined the roads into Islamabad for weeks in preparation against the march, which was postponed from September 27 to demand Khan’s release from prison. The former prime minister was jailed in 2023 after being ousted by parliament. All convictions but one have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending.
His party remains under state scrutiny that has suppressed participation in recent protests. “This is not the way to stop protests,” said Rana Mohammad Aslam, president of the Karachi Goods Carrier Association. Authorities began stopping vehicles around September 5, weeks before the original march date, he said.
Pakistan’s home, information, commerce and finance ministries did not respond to requests for comment. Punjab police and the provincial home department also did not respond.
The containers are positioned ready for placement at key entry points into Islamabad, a capital region larger than the Southeast Asian city-state of Singapore.
Transporters battling rising prices say they cannot afford to have trucks seized. Police requisitioned more than 2,000 vehicles in September ahead of the march, they added, many still loaded with cargo and held for days with little or no compensation.
Their reluctance is leaving containers piling up at Pakistan’s main trade gateway, Karachi. The disruption was affecting routes to Islamabad, the military city of Rawalpindi, and the cities of Jhelum, Peshawar and Attock, Aslam said. Some operators had halted journeys beyond Gujranwala in Punjab, while others took alternative routes.
Transporters mounting bills
The bills are mounting for those whose containers have been seized, as daily demurrage charges on one such container alone can run into Rs30,000 to Rs40,000 ($110 to $150), Aslam said, adding to losses from missed deliveries and idle trucks.
Consumer prices rose 10.26 per cent in September from a year earlier, while the transport price index climbed 27.43 per cent, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Thursday.
Operators are struggling to pay drivers and maintain their fleets, as international shippers still expect payment regardless of the reason for the delay, Aslam said. He said he was holding talks to find a solution, but transporters could stage their own protest if complaints go unanswered.
Drivers stranded near Islamabad regretted lost days of work or earnings. “If the roads open, our children’s livelihoods will open up,” said Sagheer Ahmed, 51, who added that his children, awaiting him at home, relied on his earnings. “If not, we will just keep standing.”
