Blocked roads: Commuters, workers suffer in lockdown

Public transport stays off roads; metro service suspended

ISLAMABAD: Commuters and residents continued to suffer on Tuesday as public transport stayed off the roads and major arteries were blocked as thousands gathered in Rawalpindi for murderer Mumtaz Qadri’s funeral.

Almost all major markets in Rawalpindi including Murree Road, Raja Bazaar, Banni Chowk, Iqbal Road, and College Road remained closed the whole day. However, most business centres and markets in Islamabad were open.

Commuters suffered the most as the metro bus service remained closed for the second day and hardly any private public transport plied the roads.

All schools, colleges and universities also remained closed due to road blocks.

Attendance at private and public offices also remained thin. Most government offices located in the Red Zone had closed by 2pm on Tuesday.

Security was also on high alert in the capital and entry, particularly from Murree Road, was monitored and restricted.

Petrol pumps and banks along Murree Road in Rawalpindi were also closed. Many banks and petrol stations had set up awnings and barriers in front of their buildings as a precaution in case the protesters turned violent.

“My mother had a doctor’s appointment. We could not reach the hospital due to road blocks and the unavailability of public transport,” said Asad Khan, a resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Normalcy, however, returned by Tuesday evening, and majority of small shops and restaurants had opened for business.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2^nd, 2016.