Rawalpindi shut due to Pakistan-Sri Lanka cricket matches

Citizens call for shifting of stadium out of populated area to end suffering of people

Cricket matches between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium have led to the complete closure of the food street, Double Road, schools, dozens of offices, and plazas, leaving businesses devastated.

The city’s largest recreational spot, Allama Iqbal Park, has also been sealed. Church access for the Christian community has been disrupted, and movement of nearly 50,000 local residents has been severely affected.

Traders, food street shopkeepers and residents have launched protests, demanding that the cricket stadium be shifted to Islamabad’s Parade Ground. They say that every time matches are held, they are thrown into hardship.

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For the past five days, all businesses have remained closed, roads blocked, and recreational activities including walking and jogging in the park suspended. All routes have been sealed by placing arbed wire, containers and barriers. Even the pedestrian movement on Double Road is restricted.

Traders and residents of Shamsabad and Double Road said, the traffic closures during matches make life unbearable. They called that the stadium should be shifted outside the congested area.

President of the Traders Association of Pindora Bazaar, Raja Ghulam Asghar Abbasi, said half of Rawalpindi becomes hostage when Double Road is shut. He said Saidpur Road, Pindora Bazaar, Murree Road, IJP Road, Faizabad, I-8 and nearby neighbourhood streets suffer severe traffic jams.

He added that hundreds of thousands of citizens face difficulties, while schoolchildren, the elderly and patients are the hardest hit. “Two to four dozen people are provided security by deploying thousands of personnel round the clock, but the entire population pays the price,” he said.

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He clarified that traders are not against cricket, but holding matches in such a crowded area paralyses citizens’ lives. He urged authorities to rise above political affiliations and take concrete steps to shift the stadium to a suitable location.