Security lockdown disrupts daily life
A near-total shutdown in Rawalpindi over the past five days, from Friday to Tuesday, reportedly linked to security measures under the pretext of IranUS peace negotiations, has severely disrupted daily life.
Transport terminals, wholesale markets, commercial centres, hotels and wedding halls remained closed, paralysing the city's routine.
The closure has not only suspended educational activities and significantly affected court proceedings, but has also created serious difficulties for residents needing to travel for essential matters, including family emergencies.
In the absence of public transport, citizens have increasingly turned to hiring private cars, Suzuki vans and larger vehicles at exorbitant rates for intercity travel.
Families travelling out of the city, including for bereavements, have been forced to hire entire vehicles, while vehicle owners have taken advantage of the situation by charging up to double the usual fares. This surge in demand has, in turn, boosted business for car showrooms.
There are approximately 1,470 registered car showrooms across Rawalpindi city and cantonment areas, and reportedly not a single small vehicle has remained available for hire since Thursday night, with all booked at doubled rates through Tuesday. These vehicles have primarily been hired by families travelling from Rawalpindi to cities such as Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad and areas of Azad Kashmir.
The closure of 34 small and large transport terminals across the city has also rendered hundreds of workers in the transport sector temporarily unemployed.
Although the administration verbally permitted the reopening of terminals at 4pm on Tuesday, fear among passengers meant turnout remained extremely low, preventing vehicles from operating at full capacity. As a result, transporters refrained from resuming services by Tuesday evening.
Markets, commercial centres, hotels and wedding halls across the city remained closed on Tuesday as well. Key arteries, including Murree Road, Rawal Road, major commercial centres, and routes from Chaklala Nur Khan Airbase to the Islamabad Expressway, continued to be heavily policed, with personnel deployed from distant districts of Punjab.
In areas within a three-kilometre radius of the airport, residents have reportedly been barred from accessing rooftops, and the sealing of all surrounding markets and shops has brought both daily life and business activity to a standstill.
Haji Zahoor Arain, Patron-in-Chief of the Transport Federation, urged the government to formulate a clear policy, stating that transporters were ready to cooperate fully.
He suggested that, instead of a complete shutdown, limited vehicle movement could be allowed under strict security, or that transporters be permitted to operate from locations outside the city and cantonment, such as Rawat, 26 Number Chungi and Tarnol.