Mobile phone and internet services will remain suspended from 6am till evening in the twin cities during the Pakistan Day parade scheduled for Wednesday (today).
Security will be on high alert in the twin cities on the occasion of Pakistan Day parade. Additional security personnel and police will be deployed at entrance and exit points of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
The metro bus service between the twin cities will also remain suspended from the morning till the culmination of the parade.
All routes leading to and from Faizabad Interchange will be sealed in the morning. Alternative routes will be provided to motorists travelling between the twin cities.
A parade of armed forces and a fly-past of Pakistan Air Force fighter jets will be held at Islamabad Parade Ground.
Heavy security will be deployed on the Islamabad Express Highway, Shakrial Link Road, Faizabad Interchange, Shamsabad, Rehmanabad, Murree Road, Marrir Chowk, Kachehri Chowk, Rawal Dam Chowk, Zero Point, IJP Road and Stadium Road to ensure the security of the parade.
Islamabad and Rawalpindi traffic police have already issued alternative traffic plans in view of the closure of major highways. More than 300 traffic police personnel will be deployed to facilitate the citizens and ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
Security personnel will be deployed at high-rise buildings at the Noor Khan Airbase and adjoining areas to ensure the safety of the fighter aircraft participating in the fly-past.
Commercial flights will also remain suspended owing to the fly-past of Pakistan Air Force fighter jets.
Sources said that kite-flying, aerial firing, and releasing pigeons into the air in the areas around the parade ground have been banned, while residents are also not allowed to come out on the roofs of their houses or building complexes. Police personnel would take immediate action against those violating the ban.
A control room has already been set up to ensure security arrangements. A plan has also been drawn up to deal with any emergency situation. The Fire Brigade, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence and local hospitals will remain on high alert.
The Islamabad administration has already announced a holiday on March 23 and all government and private offices and institutions will remain closed on Thursday.
Pakistan Day is celebrated on March 23 annually to commemorate the Lahore Resolution of 1940 that eventually led to the creation of Pakistan.
The parade, which is the main feature of the annual national day celebrations, will be held in Islamabad in compliance with all the anti-Covid Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Published in The Express Tribune, March 23rd, 2022.
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