RAWALPINDI: Residents in most parts of Rawalpindi spent the weekend confined to their houses as police closed all link roads to their areas during the rally of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) at Committee Chowk.

Besides, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Awami Muslim League (AML) took out rallies from the city towards D-Chowk in Islamabad.

The PTI and AML workers and supporters gathered at Khanna Bridge and Lal Haveli before moving to the D-Chowk in Islamabad. And the workers and supporters of PAT of Dr Tahirul Qadri gathered at Chandni Chowk from where they held a rally to the Committee Chowk.

The city administration and police sealed all the slip roads and side alleys of Murree Road from Liaquat Bagh to Rehmanabad to avoid any untoward incident. As a result, the residents of Raja Bazaar, Naya Mohallah, Purana Qila, Iqbal Road, Chittian Hattian, Gowalmandi, Usmanpura, Moti Bazaar, Sarafa Bazaar and adjoining areas remained confined to their streets.

However, business remained as usual in Raja Bazaar, Saddar, Commercial Market, Tench Bhatta and other markets. Public transport continued operation in the downtown till the afternoon when it vanished from the roads between Saddar and Islamabad.

On May 9, the Punjab Home department in a press release stated that there were security threats to the PAT rally.

A circular sent by the Home Department to the PAT chief and his sons referred to intelligence reports which stated that there were threats of an untoward incident during the rally. It may be mentioned that Taliban have already issued a Fatwa against Dr Tahirul Qadri. However, the rally passed off peacefully.

Thousands of people, mostly from outside of the garrison city, had arrived to take part in the rally.

“I came from Balakot to participate in the rally. We are suffering from electricity loadshedding and unemployment and the PAT leader has given us the hope for a change,” said Moin Ahmed Khan Yousufzai, 21, a student of civil engineering in Abbottabad.

He said the rulers were not interested in ending the miseries of the poor people.

An MBA finance student, Syed Kamal Shah of Balakot, said he and his friends had come to attend the two rallies in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Mohammad Javed, 33, a rickshaw driver, told Dawn that he had come from Jhelum on the call of Dr Qadri. “In my opinion, the agenda of PAT will bring a change in the country as the present rulers have failed to deliver,” he said.

He said loadshedding and unemployment created problems for the people and they wanted to get rid of the present rulers who failed to fulfil their promises made during the general elections last year.

Akhter Abbasi, 32, a workshop worker at Chittian Hattian, added that people wanted an end to the laodshedding and basic facilities of life such as healthcare in government hospitals. He said the rulers had failed to provide security of life and property to the citizens.

“Because of the rally, there was no loadshedding during the last three days. It proved that if the government wanted it can give relief to the people,” he said.

Hameeda Noor, 55, from Pindigheb in the district of Attock, said she was facing problems to manage her kitchen budget.

“While coming to Rawalpindi take part in the rally, I and my relatives were harassed by the police. The police stopped our vehicles and wanted to offload our children,” she said.

Tasleem Jehan, 20, from Muzaffarabad, said she and her cousins had come to the city to participate in the rally and record their protest against the government.

Rabia Abbasi, 65, from Bhara Kahu, said inflation had hit the common man very hard and it was difficult for them to manage their kitchen budgets. “My son and husband worked hard every day but we are unable to meet our basic needs of life,” she complained.