TAXILA: Religious protesters continued to block the main points of exit and entry into Taxila and markets and shops in Hassanabdal remained closed on the call of trade unions in protest of the government operation against Tehreek-i-Labbaik protesters in Islamabad.

Led by Sunni Tehreek President Tariq Qadri, the protesters continued their sit-in on G.T. Road near Taxila Chowk the whole night and in front of a hotel owned by a local PML-N MPA.

They also disrupted traffic on the Rawalpindi-Peshawar and Rawalpindi-Haripur roads and long queues of trucks could be seen on these roads while other commuters were forced to continue on their journeys on foot.

Petrol stations ran out of fuel due to the traffic jams and many wedding ceremonies were also cancelled. Drivers of trucks laden with fruit and vegetables and who were stuck in traffic for two days were worried the whole consignments will go bad.

Public transport remained suspended on Sunday and more and more people turned to the railways stations, only to be turned away as the trains were already jampacked.

Traffic was also blocked on G.T. Road in Gujar Khan after religious activists placed containers on entry and exit points into the city. Commercial centres and shops were forced to close while the protesters marched through the city’s streets, chanting slogans against the PML-N government.

Rallies were brought out in Sohawa, Kallar Syedan, Kahuta, Dina, Jhelum, Jatli, Mandra and other towns in the area. Wedding processions and ambulances could be seen stuck in the traffic blocks.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2017