Long march fears snarl freight traffic

Truckers are refusing to drive north, for fear their vehicles will be seized and the containers used to barricade Islamabad ahead of an Oct 4 long march. "Right now, going toward Punjab is like committing suicide," said driver Javid ur Rehman, 35, who has halted such journeys, referring to Pakistan's most populous province.

"The police seize the vehicles and snatch the containers, and then we are left distressed. "Steel shipping containers, packed with sand and welded together, have lined the roads into Islamabad for weeks, in preparations against a march, postponed from Sept 27, to demand Khan's release from prison.

"This is not the way to stop protests," said Rana Mohammad Aslam, president of the Karachi Goods Carrier association. Authorities began stopping vehicles around Sept. 5, weeks before the original date for the march, he said.

The interior, 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.

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 to pile up at Karachi. The disruption was affecting routes to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, and the cities of Jhelum, Peshawar and Attock, Aslam said. Some operators had halted journeys beyond Gujranwala, while others took alternative routes.

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, Aslam said, adding to losses from missed deliveries and idle trucks.

Consumer prices rose 10.26% in September from a year earlier, while the transport price index climbed 27.43%, 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 was holding talks to find a solution, he added, but transporters could stage their own protest if complaints go unanswered. For Pervaiz Khan, 50, the risk was enough to keep a load of chemicals parked in Karachi.

"Right now, my vehicle is loaded but I am not going," said the father of five, adding that he had loaded his cargo of chemicals by night. "We depart from Sindh, and the moment we enter Punjab, that's when our troubles begin.

"Drivers stranded near Islamabad regretted lost days of work or earnings. "If the roads open, our children's livelihood 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. "