ISLAMABAD: The joyous occasion of Independence Day was marred by eye-watering traffic jams, ear-shattering noises, and road blockades in the twin cities, leaving commuters frustrated and exhausted.

For many, the usual fervour and excitement of the occasion were overshadowed by the sheer chaos that gripped the streets as commuters endured hours-long gridlocks and the sounds of horns and loudspeakers pierced the air.

Stepping out into the streets in both cities, one could see long queues of vehicles on the main arteries and roads creating a traffic hell.

The people were seen violating every single traffic law, unruly youngsters driving in wrong lanes towards oncoming traffic, on greenbelts just to get ahead of others by a few feet before getting stuck in the gridlock again, lane violations and littering the roads and parks with paper Pakistani flags, crisp packets and plastic bottles in the picturesque federal capital.

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“This has gone too far, especially with the noise from loud bugles and no silencers on motorbikes,” said a woman who brought her children to F-9 Park for a family festival arranged by the government.

The F-9 Park was inaccessible by cars and festival goers had to park far and walk to enjoy the live food stations and cultural stalls and music concert featuring, Asim Azhar, Soch Band, Shamoon Ismail, Umair Jaswal and several other pop singers. Equally entertaining and bedazzling for the people was the first-ever drone show arranged by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Information.

“We know congestion is going to be absurd but we step out for our children to instil that love and feelings for their country,” said a man who had brought his sons to F-9 Park festival that continued till midnight.

“People have absolutely no entertainment, nothing to do on this special day except for driving from one avenue to another, from one end of the road to another,” said another festival-goer at F-9 Park.

On Tuesday night under Azadifest celebrations, a firework show was organised while on Wednesday night a drone show mesmerised the visitors.

Besides others, Olympian Arshad Nadeem also visited F-9 Park on Tuesday night to celebrate Independence Day with the people.

The weather, which was not too kind, with humidity levels over 70pc, did not deter a group of college students from the festival ground.

“We are here for some of our favourite singers,” said one student. One of her friends seemed more interested in observing others.

“I like to see how people celebrate this important day. There is so much joy and happiness all around. I hope they all express their patriotism in other ways, especially by everyone paying their taxes,” said a visitor, Mona Khan.

Though there was a rush on the streets and roads on the eve of Independence Day, some residents of Rawalpindi were of the view that there was less fanfare this year compared to previous years. They assigned many reasons for it, like strict control on one-wheeling by the police and a ban on toy horns in Islamabad.

The people involved in the seasonal business of selling flags, toy horns, badges and other items related to the Independence Day celebrations also complained about lesser sales this year.

Chaudhry Islam, a vendor selling white and green shirts, said there was good business in the last few weeks, but the profit was less as people did not buy these things without bargaining.

Mohammad Waqar, a vendor of toy horns, said business this year was poor as police did not allow them to establish stalls in Islamabad.

In the streets, vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, houses, buildings, plazas, markets and shopping malls were decorated with national flags, buntings and colourful electric bulbs.

In most areas in Rawalpindi, business activities remained suspended.

In the evening, the families thronged to parks and other resorts to enjoy the day. Rush was seen in all the parks and cinema houses of the city and cantonment areas.

Kashif Abbasi also contributed to the report

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2024