Camp Bani Gala: Workers set up camp outside Imran’s residence

Police keep tight control over entrance to Islamabad suburb

RAWALPINDI/ ISLAMABAD: Over a hundred Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers have set up camp outside party chairman Imran Khan’s residence in Bani Gala, Islamabad.

The workers – mostly from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – are here to take part in the party’s planned November 2 protest against the government.

The police, however, have been largely successful in their efforts to block PTI workers from reaching  Bani Gala. As a result, the number of people around the suburban house is limited. Workers – mostly men – have encamped by the roadside and in an under-construction house, which they said belonged to one of Imran’s sisters. Women workers mostly come in the day and leave in the evening.

The party has made makeshift arrangements to cook food for the workers at the site, while local restaurants are also being used.

The workers said they had come on the call of the party chief. “We are here to get freedom from this corrupt system,” said Shahzad, who came from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. They said they were determined to lock down the capital on November 2, come what may. “We will show the government what we are capable of on November 2,” said another PTI worker. Asked where the party was planning to hold its protest, he said they would go wherever Khan asked them to.

Roads, markets open

Meanwhile, except for the immediate surroundings of Bani Gala, all other roads and intersections in the capital were open for traffic on Sunday. Police also posted footage from safe city cameras on major roadways to show that traffic was flowing smoothly at Bani Gala as well as Khanna Pul, the Motorway toll plaza, Aabpara, and Rawal Dam Chowk. Major markets also remained open on Sunday, although turnout at the weekly Sunday Bazaar in G-6 was noticeably low.

Schools

Meanwhile, the Punjab government and the Rawalpindi Education Department have announced that schools would remain open on November 2.

They have also directed all teachers to ensure that they are present at their respective schools. Monitoring teams will check in at various schools, and any teachers found absent will be suspended.

Students, however, will not be punished if they are absent on
the day.

Teachers associations have expressed dissatisfaction with the decision. In Islamabad, despite assurances from private school administrators, parents are still unsure whether or not to send their kids to school, with social media flush with such discussions in parents’ groups.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2016.