PTI protest squeezes millions from exchequer

Where the recent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests and the ensuing shutdown of several cities in Punjab including the federal capital proved to be a significant source of distress for the civilian population, the tumultuous political happenings simultaneously cost millions of rupees to the national exchequer.

According to information available to The Express Tribune, more than Rs350 million have been spent on catching vehicles for security purposes during the recent PTI protest in Islamabad, where 700 to 1,000 containers and 2,000 to 3,000 trucks were seized to block various highways.

Conversely, a one-day protest in other cities cost Rs170 to Rs200 million, out of which Rs40 to Rs60 million were spent in Lahore alone, where Mazda beverage trucks, cargo trucks, buses and other heavy weight vehicles were parked to block the entry and exit routes at Gajju Matah, Thokar Niaz Baig, Shahdara, Babu Sabu, Ring Road, New and Old Ravi Bridge, Ferozepur Road, Multan Road, Jail Road and Mall Road.

Tanveer Ahmed, a truck driver, revealed that he transported vegetables and fruits from South Punjab. "Many of our trucks were caught by the Traffic Police during the protests that took place during the past few days. Truck owners who could not pay bribes or had no contacts were made to stand on the road for days," lamented Ahmed.

Sajjad Khan, a truck driver for a beverage company, revealed that the police confiscated his documents and asked him to block the road for a few hours, however, he had to stand in the same place for two days.

"Our beverage company had to face serious losses since the miscreants took away crates of bottles. After two days, the police gave just Rs3,000 for diesel, while the loss was in thousands of rupees," lamented Khan.

On the other hand, former additional IG traffic, Rai Altaf Hussain claimed that on the occasion of any protest in the province, all the pressure from the administration was on the Traffic and Punjab Police.

"Sometimes when more trucks and containers are required for protests, we also contact transport associations, who are paid a reasonable compensation," said Hussain, who further revealed that apart from impounding vehicles, millions are also spent on the deployment of security forces, food, weaponry and other facilities for the police deployed to deal with the protestors.

Confirming Hussain's claims, Asif Khan, an official from the Truck Trailer Containers Association disclosed that they had demanded Rs50,000 for a container for five to six days, however, they were paid only Rs20,000 to Rs25,000 for a large vehicle and Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 for a small vehicle.

"The government should formulate a plan of action to reduce the expenditure on containers.

In this way, neither the public nor the truck and container owners will be bothered," recommended Khan.

An Additional Deputy Commissioner of Lahore district claimed that if the government had planned any meeting, procession or program, the vehicles were paid by the Deputy Commissioner's Office. "The City District Government does not pay anyone for impounding vehicles for protests organized by the opposition. The Traffic Police, Punjab Police and the Transport Department look into these matters by conducting a joint adventure," they said.