Cricket security draws citizens' ire

Christian community faces hardships in reaching local churches ahead of Christmas in Rawalpindi.

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RAWALPINDI:

Locals including traders and working people besides leaders of a renowned church have termed harsh security arrangements, put in place for the ongoing cricket matches of Pakistan Champions T20 Cup 2024 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium (RCS), as unfair and inconvenient for their everyday matters.

Matches have been continuing at the cricket stadium for the last week and a key road named Shamsabad Double Road has been completely closed. All adjacent food markets, private offices and schools have been blocked by placing barbed wires and containers.

Hundreds of shops and a complete closure of the transportation routes of more than 100,000 commuters around the stadium have been badly affected. Christian citizens have been stopped from coming to an ancient church even though Christmas is approaching.

First-class matches being played at the stadium will continue till Christmas. For the security of these matches, the food market, double road, Shamsabad double road shops and offices are closed.

The biggest and central Allama Iqbal Park of Rawalpindi city is also completely closed and it has been decided to keep it closed on Christmas day as well. All the park's gates have been locked, all four sides have been cordoned off and barbed wire has been installed.

All the food shops in the parks have also been locked. A total of around 500 shops, stalls and dhabas have been closed in parks, shops, double road shops and food markets due to which their owners and workers have become unemployed.

The shopkeepers and visitors have protested strongly against the complete closure of the roads and businesses and demanded that the matches be shifted from the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium to the Parade Ground or some other place outside the city.

Christian leaders have demanded permission for Christian families to attend Christmas services in local churches. Parish Priest Father Sarfraz Simon, Archbishop Rawalpindi Islamabad Dr Joseph Arshad and Holy Family Catholic Church Special In-charge Babu Sajid Amin Khokhar are of the view that the closure of the double road and adjacent roads due to the cricket tournament has caused problems for the Christian community of the area.

The ban has created anxiety among them because they cannot go to their church in Shamsabad due to strict security measures. According to community members, they were not allowed to go to St Mary's Catholic Church on Double Road on Sunday as traffic police blocked all roads leading to the area due to a cricket match.

The cricket tournament is likely to end on Christmas Day (December 25), due to which there are fears that the Christian community will not be able to reach the church for worship even on Christmas Eve.

Christians' central leader Rashid Chauhan and Pastor Asif have demanded that the roads be opened immediately for Christmas worship in the biggest and oldest church in the city.

Shopkeepers Ahmed Khan, Ali Ahmed and Rashid Ali have demanded that their businesses have been badly affected for the last two weeks. "This is unfair. The cricket stadium should be shifted from here immediately or the cricket matches should be held in Lahore, Karachi or Multan instead of Rawalpindi," they suggest.