Woman dies as govt blocks roads ahead of PAT, AML rallies in Rawalpindi

Civic, commercial activities come to a standstill in Rawalpindi as admin places containers on roads

RAWALPINDI: Civic and commercial activities came to a complete standstill in Rawalpindi on Saturday after the district administration placed containers on a number of major roads to prevent two political parties from holding a rally.

The road blockade also led to the death of a woman as an ambulance taking her to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital got stuck at Marrir Chowk and was unable to reach the hospital in time.



Citizens found themselves besieged for the entire morning and much of the afternoon after the local administration placed containers on roads aimed at preventing Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehrik (PAT) and Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s Awami Muslim League (AML) activists from reaching the planned rally venue.

Traffic was a mess on all major roads including Murree Road, Transit Camp Chowk, Kashmir Road near Kamran Market, Rashid Minhas Road, Marrir Chowk, Liaqat Road, College Road, Trunk Bazaar Chowk, and Committee Chowk.

Pedestrians, motorcyclists, and motorists zigged and zagged to reach their destinations through alternate routes, which created traffic jams on minor roads as well.



Earlier, District Coordination Officer (DCO) Talat Gondal wrote letters to PAT and AML leaders warning them that intelligence agencies have communicated to the local administration that terrorists could target the rally.

The DCO had further warned if a terrorist attack takes place, the organisers would be held responsible for holding the rallies despite a warning. The DCO had also informed Ahmed that his life was under threat.

The local administration had also placed containers at Chandni Chowk and on Faizabad flyover to stop PAT activists from reaching Rehmanabad, where Qadri was scheduled to address his followers. Business activities in Raja Bazaar, Saddar bazaar, and other major markets was also badly hit as traders, other people related to businesses and potential customers could not travel

But after Ahmed threatened to move his supporters to Islamabad if the district administration did not remove the containers placed around Lal Haveli, the administration removed the containers and other blockades.



While talking about the death of the woman, a traffic warden told The Express Tribune that the ambulance driver wanted to take her to the Benazir Bhutto Hospital, but got stuck at Marrir Chowk due to the containers on the road. The identity of the woman could not be confirmed when this report was filed.

Earlier, the metro bus service management restricted the service area between Pak-Secretariat in Islamabad and IJP Road in Rawalpindi. Later at about 2pm, the management suspended the service entirely and heavy contingents of police were deployed at metro bus stations for security.

Since their completion, the bus stations have become a regular target of protesters.

At around 7pm, Ahmed and his supporters left Lal Haveli for Rehmanabad to join PAT, where it was holding its “Qisas rally”.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 4^th, 2016.