KARACHI: President of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Sheikh Umer Rehan, has expressed serious concern over the seizure and detention of goods transport containers in Islamabad, urging the government to immediately restore the smooth flow of commercial activities and supply chains.
He said goods transporters had reported that containers and trucks had been stopped at various locations for nearly 20 days, causing substantial financial losses to transporters, logistics companies, importers and exporters. The prolonged detention of freight vehicles could disrupt the movement of imported and exported goods, industrial raw materials and essential commodities.
Rehan said containers were a vital component of the country’s trade and supply chain infrastructure, and restricting their movement affected not only transporters but also industry, trade and the wider market.
Delays in the transportation of vegetables, fruits and other perishable goods, in particular, could result in financial losses and contribute to higher prices.
The KATI president proposed that the administration coordinate with shipping companies, terminal operators and logistics firms to obtain empty containers available at yards against appropriate compensation, thereby avoiding the need to detain containers being used for commercial transportation.
He also demanded a transparent mechanism to compensate owners of trucks and containers for the direct financial losses incurred due to their vehicles remaining idle for several days as a result of administrative measures.
He stressed that the business community was not a party to any political dispute but a key partner in the national economy. In the prevailing situation, the government had a responsibility to ensure that political and administrative challenges caused minimum disruption to business continuity, industrial production and exports.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026