October 24, 1999 (Sunday) Army House Operations Room 12:00 Hours
"Sir, this is madness," the Inspector General (IG) of Punjab Police wiped sweat from his brow. "If you announce arrests on the radio, the drivers won't surrender. They will panic. They will lock the trucks, take the keys, and run into the fields."
The Corps Commanders nodded in agreement. "The IG is right, Sir," General Aziz said. "If the drivers abandon the vehicles, we will have 5,000 heavy trucks blocking the GT Road with no one to drive them. It will be a logistical nightmare."
I looked at the map. I looked at the frozen arteries of the state. "That," I said, leaning over the table, "is exactly what I want."
The room went silent.
"Gentlemen," I explained, channeling my inner bureaucrat. "Right now, as long as the driver is sitting in the seat, that truck is Private Property. If I force him to drive at gunpoint, CNN will call it 'Slavery'. I cannot win a negotiation with a man holding the steering wheel hostage."
I pointed to the highway on the map. "But... if the driver abandons the vehicle on a national highway? Then it is no longer private property. It becomes an 'Obstruction to Public Order'. It becomes State Property."
I turned to the IG. "I want them to run. I want them to take the keys. Because once the seat is empty, we fill it."
I turned to Brigadier Tariq. "Issue the order. And alert the Railway Ministry. While we take the trucks, I want the Iron Horse to wake up."
Radio Pakistan: Emergency Broadcast 13:00 Hours (1:00 PM)
The transmission interrupted every radio station in the country.
"This is an announcement from the Chief Executive's Secretariat. To all Goods Transport Drivers currently blocking the National Highways: You have One Hour to move your vehicles. If you are found stationary after 14:00 Hours, you will be arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order Act. Sentence: 3 Years Rigorous Imprisonment."
The announcer paused, then delivered the second blow. "To all citizens holding a Heavy Vehicle License (HTV): Report to your nearest Civil Lines Police Station immediately. Failure to report will result in the permanent cancellation of your license. The State is recruiting emergency drivers."
GT Road, Near Gujranwala 14:05 Hours (2:05 PM)
Panic. Absolute, chaotic panic.
The drivers heard the broadcast. They saw the dust clouds of approaching Army convoys. They didn't want to go to jail for the Seths. "Run!" someone shouted. "The Army is coming!"
Thousands of drivers grabbed their personal bags, locked the truck cabins, pocketed the keys, and scrambled down the embankments into the sugarcane fields. Within ten minutes, the highway was a graveyard of silent, locked trucks.
The State Arrives
A convoy of Army trucks pulled up. Stepping out were Magistrates, Army Mechanics, and Police Drivers.
SSP Zulfiqar Cheema walked up to the first abandoned truck. "Is this vehicle obstructing the road?" "Yes," the Magistrate nodded. "Confiscated."
Cheema signaled the Army mechanic. "Bypass it." Smash. Hotwire. Board.
It was a state-sponsored hijack.
The Iron Vein Karachi Railway Station 15:00 Hours (3:00 PM)
While the trucks were being hotwired in Punjab, a different beast was waking up in the south.
The Transport Mafia had blocked the roads, thinking they controlled all movement. They forgot about the tracks.
Major General Junaid, head of the Army Engineering Corps, stood on the platform. Behind him were three ancient, rusted freight engines that had been sitting in the yard for months. Army mechanics had been working on them for 24 hours straight.
"Status?" Junaid barked.
"Engine 1 and 2 are operational, Sir," a grease-covered Captain reported. "Engine 3 is risky, but it will pull."
"Load them," Junaid ordered.
Cranes began lowering massive containers onto the flatbed wagons. Wheat. Sugar. Fuel. The strategic reserves from the Port.
The Railway Union leader ran up, waving a paper. "General! You can't run these trains! The drivers are on strike in solidarity with the truckers!"
General Junaid looked at him. "Who said I need your drivers?"
He pointed to the engine cabin. Sitting in the driver's seat was a Military Logistics Officer.
"Clear the track," Junaid ordered. Choo-Choo! The whistle blew—a sound that hadn't been heard for days. The Iron Horse groaned, the wheels sparked, and the heavy train began to move. It wasn't fast, but it was unstoppable. It carried enough food to feed Lahore for a week.
The Double Blow 18:00 Hours (6:00 PM)
I stood on the balcony of the Army House. "Sir," Brigadier Tariq walked in, beaming. "It's done."
I turned on the TV. Split Screen:
Left: Army soldiers driving confiscated trucks on the GT Road.
Right: A massive freight train chugging through the Sindh desert, carrying a banner: "STATE EXPRESS."
The strike was broken. The Transport Mafia had blocked the roads, only to lose their trucks to the Police and their cargo contracts to the Railways.
"The Supply Chain is restored, Sir," Tariq said. "Vegetables will be in the market by morning."
I nodded. "Let the drivers beg for their trucks back. And let the Railway run. It's time we reminded people that the tracks are more than just rusted metal."
Author's Note
The Pincer Movement. Aditya uses a classic military strategy applied to logistics:
Frontal Assault: Hijacking the trucks on the road using the "Abandonment" loophole.
Flanking Maneuver: Reactivating the Railways to bypass the road network entirely.
The map of Pakistan's railway network is crucial here—it runs parallel to the main highways (N-5), making it the perfect strategic alternative that the Mafia ignored.