RAWALPINDI, Jan 14: The situation became tense when Tehrik-i-Minhajul Quran (TMQ) activists, armed with sticks and a crane — to topple containers — at Rawat Junction, instead of taking the proposed Islamabad Express route, decided to head towards Rawalpindi but were not able to.

Police officials confessed that it lacked the manpower to stop TMQ activists but through negotiations were able to convince rally participants to stick to the proposed route.

The police were aided by Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rashid, who further pressurised TMQ participants not to enter Rawalpindi.

A police official said the incident occurred when the TMQ convoy suddenly stopped at T-Chowk, the main junction between Rawalpindi and Islamabad and instead of heading towards Islamabad Expressway, decided to enter Rawalpindi.

Participants tried to topple the container blocking the way but the local police immediately tried to counter the move, said the police official.

However, police officials admitted that the force did not have the wherewithal to stop TMQ activists.

With the situation having the potential to get out of control, police began negotiating with leaders of TMQ and were eventually able to convince them to stick to the main route, the police official added.

However, the official lamented on the irony that this happened despite the fact that the district coordination officer (DCO) had already imposed Section 144 in the area

The standoff between the police and TMQ activists remained for about half an hour but in the end the local police were able to convince them to stick to the proposed route.

Later, the participants of the rally peacefully continued their march towards Islamabad, giving the police a sigh of relief as they were outnumbered.

“If the rally participants insisted on entering Rawalpindi, then the police would not have been able stop them, as policemen deputed at Rawat’s T-Chowk were outnumbered,” confessed a senior police officer, without giving his name.

According to a report received by the local administration, total of 600 buses, 425 wagons, 165 cars, 55 jeeps, 30 mini-trucks, 80 Suzuki vans and 35 mazdas were part of the convoy.

Despite the odds, the TMQ supporters managed to move forward from Rawat Chowk to Faizabad.

TMQ supporters were mostly made up of youngsters, carrying national flags.

When Dawn asked younger participants for their reasons for participating in the rally, all of them said that they wanted ‘change’.

“We have come to change the old and colonial system prevailing in the country which makes poor poorer and rich richer,” said Kashif Mehmood, a second year student of Minhajul Quran Madrassah.

Mohammad Yasmin, a student of third year coming from Sumundri near Faisalabad, said that the country was passing through a bad phase and the average citizen could not provide for his or her household needs.

The participant said that Inqilab (revolution) was inevitable to change the system.

“The system will not bring the country out of the crises of energy and unemployment,” he said.

Meanwhile, special security arrangements had been made for the long march but the claims of the police officials proved false as they planned to install walkthrough gates at the entry and exit points of the city.

During a visit to different security points, Dawn did not find walkthrough gates except for containers and barbed wires to block the roads.

The City District Government Rawalpindi (CDGR) made a control room to monitor the situation across the district but after the suspension of cellphone services, the control room became ineffective.

The wireless phones were available only to three officers — District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar, Additional District Collector General Saif Anwar Jappa and Assistant Commissioner Zahid Suhail.

However, the use of wireless phones became ineffective as nobody at the entry and exit points had access to the facility.

In the end, officials had to resort to using landlines.

“The local administration officials were asked to contact the control room to inform the administration about the situation via landline numbers from a nearby Public Call Office (PCO),” DCO Saqib Zafar said while talking to Dawn.