ISLAMABAD: The government will pay Rs46.5 million per day to the owners of 1,550 containers arranged to counter the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protest in the capital.

Sources in the police said the amount requested by the capital police for security arrangements to counter the PTI’s protest would effectively double and was likely to cost the exchequer more than Rs1 billion as the political party has postponed the protest rally for about a week.

Earlier, PTI had announced a countrywide protest starting on September 27.

Following the announcement, the capital police, like their counterparts in Punjab, began preparations and requested Rs820 million to cover the rent of containers, accommodation and meals for the police personnel arriving from Punjab and Sindh.

Police yet to decide whether to release containers or retain them in their custody, says All Pakistan Goods Alliance chairman

The amount was intended to cover one week, as the police expected the protest and long march, scheduled to begin on September 27, to disperse by October 4.

However, with the protest and long march postponed for a week, the expenses are also expected to increase.

All Pakistan Goods Alliance Chairman Nisar Hussain Jaffri said the alliance had initially demanded a daily rent of Rs40,000 and Rs20,000 for 40-foot and 20-foot containers, respectively. Later, he said, the demand was revised to Rs30,000 per container for both sizes.

After PTI postponed the long march, the police were asked about the containers, he said, adding that the authorities had so far not decided whether to release or retain them in their custody.

The sources said that according to the demand the daily rent for 1,550 containers comes to Rs46.5 million, while the rent for one week is Rs325.5 million and for two weeks Rs651 million.

The sources said the police had also requested a contingent of 16,000 personnel from the Punjab Police and 2,000 from the Sindh Police. So far, the Sindh Police contingent has reached the capital and is staying at marquees at the Police Lines Headquarters, Faisal Mosque and Community Centre G-13.

Three meals a day are being provided to the visiting personnel. The cost of three meals per person is Rs600, meaning Rs1.2 million is being spent each day to feed the 2,000 Sindh Police personnel. The cost of meals for one week is Rs8.4 million and for two weeks Rs16.8 million.

Surprisingly, the requested Punjab Police contingent is yet to reach Islamabad. The sources said the 16,000-member contingent was scheduled to reach the capital by the evening of September 25, as the deployment plan was to take effect from the evening of September 26. However, no Punjab Police official had arrived in Islamabad by Friday evening, they added.

About 70 coasters, 30 double-cabin vehicles and buses were also arranged to transport the police force between their places of accommodation and designated duty points. The daily rent of a coaster is Rs15,000, bringing the daily cost of 70 coasters to Rs1.05 million. The daily rent of a double-cabin vehicle is Rs10,000, while the 30 vehicles cost Rs300,000 per day.

The police also booked 175 rooms in 13 hotels in different sectors for 246 inspectors, 58 deputy and assistant superintendents of police, superintendents of police, 10 senior superintendents of police and eight deputy inspectors general of police.

Of the 13 hotels, 157 rooms in 11 hotels were booked for officers from the ranks of inspector to SP. The daily rent for these rooms is Rs754,500, and rent for one week will be Rs5.2815 million.

Although the Punjab Police contingent has yet to arrive in the capital, its three-meal daily food bill is estimated at Rs9.6 million. The cost would rise to Rs67.2 million for one week.

The rent of the buses arranged to transport the police force, as well as the rent of 18 rooms at two hotels booked for DIGs and SSPs, was not known.

Meanwhile, All Pakistan Goods Alliance Chairman Nisar Hussain said the 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 being kept at police stations. He clarified that the police had not formally arrested the drivers and other crew members but had stopped them from leaving the police stations except for meals. The police had also confiscated their mobile phones, vehicle documents and keys.

The sources said the crews would remain at the police stations until a decision was made on releasing the containers. They were being kept there to drive and move the vehicles, as special skills were required to operate the large container trucks.

The containers and vehicles were seized and their crew members detained in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Jhang, Hasanabdal, Attock, Kamoke, Taxila, Jhelum, Mianwali, Chakwal, Faisalabad and Gujrat. Of the 2,700 vehicles, 450 were carrying goods, including medicines, food items and chemicals.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2026