PTI protests paralyse life in twin cities
PTI supporters burn tyres and stand atop a truck during one of the protests staged across the province. Photo: NNI
The protest demonstrations held by the workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on major highways of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad paralysed the daily routine of the local people.
The PTI will again hold protest demonstrations on Tuesday [today] and Wednesday [tomorrow] against the non-registration of an FIR about the assassination attempt on party chief Imran Khan.
Due to the closure of the motorway, GT road, Murree road and the roads leading to the airport, the citizens are facing serious problems.
During the protest on the main thoroughfares of the garrison city, the traffic on GT Road, Taxila, Rawat, Airport Road and Murree Road remained disrupted. On Murree Road, Shamsabad, the main highway of Rawalpindi city, the PTI activists blocked the passage by burning tires and chanting anti-government slogans.
The protest on Murree Road Shamsabad was led by the Spokesperson for Punjab CM, Fayyazul Hasan Chauhan, MNA Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, former MNA Aamir Kayani, MPA Raja Rashid Hafeez and others.
Provincial Minister Raja Basharat led the protest on IJP Road Pirwadhai. A protest was held on Gulzar Quaid Airport Road under the leadership of MPA Haji Amjad. Another protest was recorded under the leadership of Raja Khurram Nawaz and Sadaqat Abbasi on GT Road Rawat. The Margalla Road Taxila was blocked by a protest demonstration led by former Federal Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker closed the Islamabad-Lahore Motorway M2 from Thalian due to which the people travelling on the motorway faced serious problems.
Under the leadership of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Wasiq Qayyum, a protest demonstration was held at Motorway Thalian after which Motorway M2 was closed to traffic. Due to the protests, students going home from schools, colleges and universities had to walk for miles.
Moreover, the ambulance services in the twin cities also remained disrupted due to the protests. The citizens are facing severe problems in moving into the city due to traffic jams on Murree Road and the connecting roads of the federal capital.
Earlier, the PTI protesters attacked the Express News team covering the Shamsabad protest and beat up the staff members before asking them to immediately stop the coverage. At this, the team moved itself to a safe place.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 8th, 2022.