• Parents rush to rescue children stranded on roads
• Traffic snarl on major entry, exit points
• Schools to remain closed in garrison city on Nov 8, 9

RAWALPINDI: Public life, especially that of students and business owners in the garrison city were badly affected due to the PTI protest at Shamasabad – old Airport road, Pirwadhai chowk and Margalla Hills. Administrations of schools in the garrison city announced that they will remain closed for two days (Nov 8 and 9).

Parents of school children rushed to their rescue when they received information that school vans were being blocked by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) protesters near Gulzar-i-Quaid on Monday. Several entry points to the capital city were blocked to prevent workers of the party from entering it.

Musyari Expressway leading to Murree Hills was also blocked by PTI workers as they set tyres on fire. Rescue 1122 ambulances and fire engines were called on the spot to handle any untoward situation. According to police, due to the protest, Faizabad, Koral Chowk, Peshawar Road underpass, Taxila GT Raod, Golra Mor, Chak Beli Khan and Islamabad Motorway Toll Plaza were closed to avoid entry of the protesters in the city. Besides this, Double Road and Pindora Chongi entry points from I.J.Principal Road also remained closed.

Only Islamabad Expressway was open for motorists, police said. The Red Zone’s exit and entry points were closed from Express Chowk and Nadra Chowk,

“I was going to collect my children from school but protesters blocked the road,” said a woman stuck in a traffic jam on Murree Road.

A tea vendor identified as Aziz Khan said his earning has dropped by 50 percent since the PTI started protests and long marches. Similar comments were given by some. Childrens’ parents panicked upon observing that their children were in trouble and getting late; many rushed to the spot to rescue their children – some were terrified while some were sobbing upon seeing young people setting tyres on fire and chanting slogans.

A school teacher told Dawn that she panicked when she received a message from her son-in-law who drives a van that his van had been blocked by PTI protesters. She said immediately after receiving the message, she and some other parents rushed to the spot near Gulzar-i-Quaid and rescued their school vans after arguing with PTI supporters.

Though the City Traffic Police had put in place some diversions to facilitate traffic during the PTI protest, their efforts proved to be unproductive. On the other hand, the CTP issued an advisory for the public to avoid inconvenience and requested people to travel to Gulzar-i-Quaid and old Airport Road.

A traffic police spokesman said that traffic was being diverted towards alternative routes due to the protest. Additional personnel were also deployed along with diversion arrangements to keep traffic flowing at protest sites, said the spokesman.

Citizens were requested to avoid unnecessary travel to highways, said CTO Naveed Irshad. Citizens should keep extra time of 20 to 30 minutes to avoid any kind of trouble, he said.

Due to the closure of main entry points between the twin cities, a massive traffic jam was seen at several points, they said, adding that some entry points were opened for a short time after protesters dispersed.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) for police, when contacted, said all entry points of the capital from Rawalpindi were closed and blocked by protesters. The police and paramilitary troops were deployed there to divert motorists on alternative routes, he added.

Meanwhile, the capital police called Sindh police and paramilitary troops within a day after PTI announced to continue the long march. The ongoing law and order situation due to the long march may create hurdles for people, they said, adding that strict legal action will be taken against those staging protest without permission.

Taking this into consideration, some people have been identified, they said, adding arrest warrants have also been taken from magistrates concerned to arrest local and active leaders and members of the PTI.

Separately, a PTI supporter was hospitalised after he suffered an electric shock when he climbed on an electric pole while participating in a protest at Shamasabad. The man was identified as Zeenat Ullah, 23. He sustained injuries on his left hand and right thigh and was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) after being given first aid.

GT road blocked

PTI workers gathered near Margalla Hills for several hours condemning the gun attack on party chief Imran Khan.

Piles of sand and mud were placed on both sides of the road to suspend traffic on Margalla hills and chairs were placed in the middle of the road at Taxila bypass. Main arteries of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were blocked.

The protest led by Member National Assembly (MNA) Mansoor Hayat Khan and Member Punjab Assembly (MPA) Ammar Sadeeq Khan shouted slogans against the government and demanded immediate arrest of those involved in the attack on Mr Khan.

Ambulances, marriage processions and students’ buses were seen stuck in traffic jams. Police and motorway police were nowhere to be found for helpless commuters who were trapped in busy traffic jams.

Farwa Batool, a student of University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Taxila, who was seen in distress told reporters that she lived in Chak Shahzad and her family was worried about her safety. She said that her and her other classmates had to cross the protest site on foot.

Jamil Ahmed, who was accompanying his elderly mother said that he needed to take his mother for surgery at a private hospital but due to the road blockage, he had to carry his mother himself.

Zainaib Noor, an eighth grader said that she lived in B-17 and due to the blockade, had to travel from school to Margalla hills on foot for about 7 kilometres to reach her home.

Addressing protesters, MNA Khan said that Imran Khan was striving for the nation’s real freedom, adding that the march in Islamabad would continue until the federal government announced fresh elections in the country.

Former federal minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan strongly condemned Thursday’s shooting and said that such “cowardly attacks” could not force the PTI and its leadership to abandon their struggle to achieve freedom.

In Fatehjang, a protest led by PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari staged a protest demonstration and blocked Rawalpindi-Fatehjang road for hours. Angry protestors burned tyres, blocked roads and said they would not rest until the suspects were arrested and punished. The participants shouted slogans against the federal government and interior minister Rana Sanaullah.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2022