GUJRAT: Though the authorities in Gujrat have not yet put any hurdles to stop the march of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers on Islamabad, the official sources say standby arrangements have been made to place the containers on bridges over Chenab and Jhelum rivers to close them within an hour after issuance of a notice by the higher authorities.

They say strict security measures have been made at the entry and exit points of the district, particularly at the river bridges, and contingents of police are ready to be deployed.

During the previous protest call by the PTI in Islamabad last week, almost all the bridges connecting Gujrat with the districts of Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Sialkot, Hafizabad and Jhelum were completely blocked by the authorities and the restrictions remained imposed for at least three days.

The convoys of workers from central Punjab particularly those traveling from Lahore and Gujranwala regions would often use the GT Road to reach Islamabad.

A senior official says the traffic on GT Road between Lahore and Islamabad is running smoothly but the bridges might be closed for traffic late at night once the Punjab government issues notice in this regard. The PTI has asked his workers to reach Islamabad for a protest on Oct 15.

The official claims that maximum efforts are being made to avoid the closure of GT Road and river bridges in the Gujrat district.

Several PTI workers have already been detained or arrested in Gujranwala and Gujrat regions during the last one week after which the workers went into hiding to avoid the arrests.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2024