Karachi transporters suspend Islamabad goods supply, block Manghopir road

Goods transporters in Karachi have suspended supplies from the city to Islamabad after a dispute over containers, according to UrduPoint. The report, whose full text was not immediately available, said the suspension followed a scuffle involving containers but gave no details on how long it would last or how many vehicles were affected. UrduPoint's headline described the episode as a 'scuffle over containers'; the outlet did not say which containers were involved or who was responsible.

In a separate protest, Express News reported that marble transporters blocked a road near Manghopir warm spring in Karachi to protest against a sit-in and road closure in front of Manghopir police station. The transporters parked marble-laden vehicles on the road, causing severe difficulties for commuters, the report said.

The protesting transporters told Express News that the closure of the road in front of Manghopir police station had caused serious hardship for movement. The Express News report did not say how many trucks were involved in the Manghopir blockade or how long the road remained closed.

Manghopir SDPO DSP Shakir said the protest was held because of the road closure. He said police held talks with the transporters, after which the protest ended and traffic was restored.

The standoff in Manghopir ended after police intervention, but it was not clear whether the separate suspension of goods movement from Karachi to Islamabad had been resolved. Police did not comment on the goods supply suspension reported by UrduPoint.

It was not immediately clear whether the two protests were connected.

Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and main port, and the road corridor to Islamabad carries freight for much of the country. Any interruption to that route can affect markets in northern Pakistan.