Lahore returns to routine after sending terror for a six

Students back to focusing on studies, while offices tackle tasks at hand

LAHORE: After sending terror for a huge six out of the ground by packing grandstands and crowding TV screens, the people of Lahore returned to normal life on Monday.

The Pakistan Super League final itself went off without incident after a fortnight of apprehensions and uncertainty over whether the match will be held in the city at all. The hugely-anticipated PSL encounter between Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi marked the return of a major cricket event to Pakistan eight years after the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.

Cricket mania was at a fever pitch between Sunday and Monday as Peshawar triumphed over Quetta. The exhausted spectators returned home for a sound sleep. Come Monday morning, people were going about their routine business at offices or schools. However, a hot topic of discussion was the performance of the teams during the match.

Rehan, a student, was discussing the match with his friend. Although he was left disappointed with the one-sided nature of the final, the student was happy to see cricket return to the Gaddafi Stadium and the chance to watch some international cricketers in action.



When asked, Rehan said studies had almost ground to a halt as he was planning to watch the match along with friends. “We could not buy a ticket, despite all our efforts, and had to sit together and watch the match over a barbecue at a friend’s place. Now, I will be able to focus on my studies again and prepare for my finals which are due in a month’s time,” he added.

Before the final, the scene at offices was no different as people were obsessed with hosting this mega event in Pakistan and its possible outcome. However, Monday saw people returning to their routine activity and they seemed more focused on their work.

Traffic on major roads flowed normally with routine hiccups faced by commuters due to months of expansion work on main Canal Road and other arteries.

Kalma Chowk and Muslim Town Morr on Ferozepur Road, Gulberg Main Boulevard, Seasons Chowk near Barkat Market and Garden Town that were closed for traffic on Sunday, returned to normal and routine traffic was witnessed at rush hour during the opening and closing times of schools or colleges.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2017.