Pak police, vehicle-owners play blame game as unguarded NATO convoys remain at risk

ISLAMABAD - As convoys carrying supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan remain suspended for a full week now, there have been concerns about their safety as they stand idle in Pakistani territory following two incidents where such vehicles were set ablaze by miscreants.

While Pakistani truck owners complained that the government failed to provide protection for the convoys, leaving them vulnerable to attacks from militants and criminals, law enforcement officials disavowed any responsibility for the security of the trucks, saying it was the onus of the truck owners, the New York Times reported.

“This is a private business and they have their own security,” claimed Mir Waiz Niaz, senior superintendent of police in Islamabad.

“The government gives advice on security, and gives advice on where they can place their terminals but the security is up to the private contractors,” he added.

However, Dost Mohammad, a trucking fleet owner, revealed that while the police received bribes from the truck drivers, they failed to do anything in return. “The police take 1,000 to 2,000 rupees from every driver,” he disclosed.

As a remedy to the insecurity on the long route that takes several days to go from Karachi to Torkham, the head of the All Pakistan Oil Tankers Owners Association, Yusuf Shahwani, said that the government needed to provide security to the trucks. “It is the government’s responsibility to give our vehicles some security,” he said. (ANI)