A container, dispatched for officials in Kabul, Afghanistan, was sent back by protesters from Hayatabad Toll Plaza on Monday afternoon. PHOTO: FILE
The US Embassy in Islamabad said they received the information and were looking into the matter. The container was stopped before crossing the sit-in camp near a terminal and documents were produced for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and Awami Jamhoori Ittehad Pakistan (AJIP) activists at the toll plaza.
The permit issued by the political agent of Khyber Agency on November 21 read, “We would like to inform you provisions for the US Embassy in Kabul are being transported to Afghanistan via Torkham by road.” The protesters refused to let the container continue further along its route. The driver of the container carried on to an undisclosed location.
The US Embassy spokesperson in Islamabad told The Express Tribune they were aware the protests had affected one of the primary commercial transit routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and this time cargo traffic had suffered too.
“As has been noted many times, these routes are important to the US, Nato and Pakistan, as reflected recently in the joint statement released during Prime Minister Sharif’s official visit,” said the spokesperson. “We have received information about the container and are looking into the matter.”
On the 10th day of the PTI dharna, protesters checked documents of more than a dozen containers carrying goods to Afghanistan. All of them were allowed to move on after the documents produced proved they were carrying ordinary goods.
False start
The protest camp was empty until 10am while the chairs were occupied by journalists as residents of PK-10 were not informed it was their turn for the dharna. Residents from Sherkera, Mattani, Badhaber, Adezai, Azakhel and other villages started reaching the venue around 10:30am.
“We were told in the morning it was PK-10’s turn to block Nato supplies. It was around the time when we started calling other party workers which was why we are late,” said one of the residents of Mattani. Activists also criticised provincial Minister for Information Shah Farman for not receiving their phone calls.
JI and AJIP activists were present in larger numbers when compared to PTI workers, at least until 1pm. The protest continued and Nato supply routes were blocked throughout the province. There was also a sit-in at the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway Interchange.
Following a drone strike on November 21 that had killed six people, including members of the Haqqani network, PTI Chairman Imran Khan said till US drone strikes continued, the Nato supply route will remain blocked throughout the province.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 3rd, 2013.
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