PTI government impounding export containers to counter protests.

LAHORE -- The PTI government's commitment to give top priority to exports stands fully exposed as it has, according to some estimates, impounded 4,000 containers mostly carrying export consignments to check the Azadi March of Maulana Fazalur Rehman.

This practice has been in vogue in Pakistan in order to stop agitators and strikers from gathering at one particular spot where they announce to protest on a particular date. But the magnitude of container impounding this time seems bigger than usual.

The impounding started a week before the proposed march and continues unabated. Any container that leaves a mill or factory fully loaded with export consignment gets impounded.

All containers from upcountry are booked for Karachi from where they are loaded on ships waiting for goods at the Karachi sea port. These ships follow a strict schedule. If the consignment does not reach the port in time, these ships leave for other destinations.

Pakistan's major exports are textiles that have to be delivered to the global consumers within the promised date. When a ship leaves Karachi port without export goods, the chances of timely delivery vanish as few ships touch our ports and the next ship might come late.

The exporters are rightly worried because they have no idea as to when these containers would be released. If the Azadi March is converted into a PM Imran-styled dharna, it would ruin the chances of delivering these export goods, even by air.

Pakistan has paid heavy price for such unethical interventions by authorities. Buyers refuse to accept the goods that are delivered late.

They have a point, as the textile goods are ordered in line with the ongoing season and fashion. If the delivery gets late by 15 days they would lose the prime selling time and would be left with huge unsold stock.

When they refuse to accept the consignment the exporter is ordered to take it back to his country. He has to pay the freight and demurrages.

Sometimes they are unable to dispose of their stuff in their own country as it was meant for a particular country and culture. Pakistani exporters have paid heavy price for such forced late deliveries in the past.

When Benazir Bhutto was murdered, thousands of containers could not reach Karachi due to riots in Sindh. The containers remained stranded at different places for over 10 days.

It was...