Capital Blockade Chokes Karachi Port Ahead of Protests

Cargo is piling up at Karachi's port as truckers avoid routes to northern Pakistan, fearing their vehicles and shipping containers could be seized and applied to block roads ahead of an October 4 march on Islamabad planned by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Key points

• While the transport rate index rose 27.43 percent, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, consumer rates rose 10.26 percent in September from a year earlier.
• Rana Mohammad Aslam, president of the Karachi Goods Carrier Association, remarked authorities began stopping vehicles around September 5, weeks before the original September 27 date for the march.
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• The disruption is affecting routes to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Peshawar and Attock.
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Transporters say police have requisitioned more than 2, 000 vehicles in September ahead of the planned march, with plenty of still loaded with cargo and held for days with little or no compensation.

In practice, the disruption is affecting routes to Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Jhelum, Peshawar and Attock. While others are using alternative routes, some operators have halted journeys beyond Gujranwala. All Pakistan Goods Transporters Announce Nationwide Strike.

Rana Mohammad Aslam, president of the Karachi Goods Carrier Association, remarked authorities began stopping vehicles around September 5, weeks before the original September 27 date for the march. It was afterwards postponed.

"Right now, going towards Punjab is like committing suicide, " remarked driver Javid ur Rehman. This person has ceased making such journeys. He remarked police seize vehicles and containers, leaving drivers and transporters facing losses.

In practice, the containers have been positioned at key entry points into Islamabad for weeks. Plenty of have been packed with sand and welded together to prepare for feasible road blockades. The disruption is additionally increasing costs for transporters. Daily demurrage charges on a seized container can reach Rs. 30, 000 to Rs. While operators additionally face losses from missed deliveries and idle trucks, 40, 000. Govt Increases Petrol Cost Ahead of Protest.

While international shipping businesses continue to expect payment despite delays caused by the road disruptions, transporters say they are additionally struggling to pay drivers and maintain their fleets.

As well as the Punjab police and provincial home department, did not respond to requests for comment, authorities from the home, information, commerce and finance ministries.

Some transporters are holding discussions to find a solution but cautioned they could stage their own protest if their complaints remain unresolved. Meanwhile, drivers with cargo stranded in Karachi and near Islamabad say the continuing disruption is costing them income and leaving their families dependent on increasingly uncertain earnings. Stay Connected with ProPakistani.

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For now, capital Blockade Chokes Karachi Port Ahead of Protests remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.