ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Goods Alliance demanded the immediate release of drivers and helpers who were detained after police seized their vehicles laden with containers to block roads to counter the PTI’s countrywide protest.

Talking to Dawn, Chairman of the All Pakistan Goods Alliance Nisar Hussain said police in Islamabad and Punjab had taken into custody at least 2,700 vehicles, along with their three-member crews.

Of the total, about 400 vehicles and their crews were still missing, while the crews of the remaining vehicles were detained at police stations.

He clarified that the police had not arrested them but stopped them from leaving the premises of the police stations, except for meals.

The police had also confiscated their mobile phones, vehicle documents and keys.

The containers and vehicles were seized and their crew members detained in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Jhang, Hasanabdal, Attock, Kamoki, Taxila, Jhelum, Mianwali, Chakwal, Faisalabad and Gujrat.

Out of the total 2,700 vehicles, 450 were laden with goods, including medicines, edibles, chemicals and confectionery.

The chairman also demanded an acceptable rent for the containers seized by the police, saying it should be paid to their owners.

“The government offered Rs20,000 rent per container for a day. However, we demanded at least Rs30,000 rent for 40-foot and 20-foot containers. We were told that the government allocated Rs400 million to pay the rent of the containers this time,” he said.

The alliance also demanded payment of rent to the owners of the containers and vehicles, saying they had never received a single penny in the past. He alleged that the police and bureaucracy had embezzled the amount.

On Tuesday, the alliance met with the Inspector General of Police, Islamabad, at the CPO and tabled its demands.

Some of the containers laden with goods were released, but about 400 were still in police custody.

On Tuesday, the alliance also met with Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan and tabled the same demands, he said, adding that the alliance met the minister because he had negotiated with it on behalf of the prime minister in August during its strike.

On the minister’s assurance, the strike was suspended for 40 days, until September 27, he said, adding that now, at another request from the government, the strike had been further suspended for 20 days.

Aleem Khan spoke with ministers Mohsin Naqvi and Talal Chaudhry, and the alliance’s meeting with them was scheduled to be held on Thursday (today).

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026