ISLAMABAD: The fire under a trailer-mounted container at Express Chowk continues to burn, boosting the morale of the already charged workers of lesser known and unknown religious groups that forced their way into the federal capital a day ago.

The trailer, which was placed by the authorities to prevent protesters who opposed the execution of Mumtaz Qadri from entering the Red Zone, now serves as a security checkpoint for the protesters.

Mohammad Hussain Qadri, a man from central Punjab who is wearing a t-shirt that declares him to be ‘security’, said: “This will continue to burn. We will get heat and fire from here at night.”

Mr Qadri claimed the still-burning fire was a sign of encouragement for the movement, Tehreek Laibaik Ya Rasoolallah. With a quick smile, he amended his claim. The fire was not a miracle, but was probably burning because there was something like wax or plastic in the container allowing the fire to continue, he said.

Most protesters seem unprepared for a long sit-in

“But the rising smoke shows direction to the newcomers,” he added.

The signs of Sunday’s carnage and aggression are still visible. As the protesters stormed their way to D-Chowk, they smashed the glass panes of the last metro bus station in Blue Area.

Jersey barriers set up at Express Chowk, at the end of Blue Area that is close to Parliament House, have been pushed away, and protesters are now driving their vehicles – including a stage mounted on a trailer – to D-Chowk.

By Monday evening, the protesters have seen their situation improve as compared to the start of the day. The supply of dinner, for example, was better compared to that of lunch and breakfast.

Police presence around the Red Zone was also heavier on Monday morning as compared to evening. But all the roads leading towards the Red Zone, except for Margalla Road, remain blocked.

With running water available at a nearby mosque at the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s head office, the protesters are not likely to face other serious needs for washing and cleaning. Under these conditions, there seems to be no serious challenge to the all-male Qadri supporters’ plan to continue their occupation.

Nature too is on their side, with mild weather conditions where the nights are cool and the sunshine soft.

The Met Office has predicted that there will be no rain until noon on Friday, and conditions will be dry and occasionally cloudy for the next three days.

However, the majority of protesters are not well-prepared for the sit-in, and many do not have spare clothes or shawls to wear, or sheets to spread on the ground. In comparison, during the 2014 sit-ins led by PTI and the Pakistan Awami Tehreek, almost all the protesters arrived with some personal belongings.

Islamabad overall remained calm, and business carried on as usual outside the Red Zone, with most educational institutions open on the first day of the week. Office presence too remained almost normal, but was very thin at at the federal government secretariat. The metro bus service remained suspended, as did mobile phone service.

In Rawalpindi, government and private educational institutions remained closed, although other businesses, shopping centres and markets were open.

The garrison city’s residents appeared to have carried on as normal and government and corporate offices and the courts were open.

Roads were also clogged with heavy traffic, and even though some roads connecting Rawalpindi to Islamabad were closed off, local transport in the city was running.

A senior official from the local administration told Dawn: “The provincial government has asked to ensure that the participants of the sit-in at the Red Zone do not receive a supply of food from religious workers.”

He said local police have been asked to be vigilant while stopping religious workers from entering Rawalpindi city to avoid an untoward situation.

The official said containers would be placed around the district if protesters did not disperse peacefully in the next 12 hours.

He said public and private property in Rawalpindi was saved during clashes between police and protesters, and that the city grew calmer, and no incident was reported involving the protest, once the protestors had entered Islamabad.

According to Mohammad Suleman, Rawalpindi went back to normal after the incident on Sunday, but he said traders did face problems transporting goods to Islamabad.

He said it was the government’s responsibility to control such events, but it had failed to do so.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2016