On the roads again: Common man bears the brunt of the protests

Islamabad Expressway blocked on a CNG holiday, people remained stranded on the roads, Aabpara made to shut second day.

ISLAMABAD:

Motivated by certain religious parties and groups, hundreds of activists including seminary students on Friday took to streets against the death sentence given to Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Punjab governor Salman Taseer, and disrutped the civic and commercial life.

Several protest rallies were held at multiple places in the twin cities including main business centres like Raja Bazaar, Committee Chowk, Rehmanabad, Commercial Market in Rawalpindi and Aabpara Market and Karachi Company where shutters remained down and the protesters blocked roads by burning tyres and kept the traffic suspended for the second day now.

“I could not reach my workplace as Islamabad Expressway was blocked by the protesters and I had no other road to take,” said Khalil Sufi, a resident of Bahria Town, which is located along Islamabad Expressway in the outskirts of the capital.

For the second day in a row now, various parts of the capital remained “under siege”. Activists from religious groups on Friday took over all important roads, including Islamabad Expressway near Faizabad, Khanna Pul and Airport Chowk. The Expressway remained blocked at various spots for at least two hours after the Friday prayers and business activity, for the second day at Aabpara, which hosted a rally for Maulana Azam Tariq on Thursday.

Rawalpindi, on the other hand, was more accommodating, which saw closure of trade centres and blockage of roads from Peshawar Road to Benazir Bhutto Road. A large number of people, including women and children were seen waiting for public transport standing at roadsides.

The riot police deployed at the trouble spots had to use teargas to disperse the protesters who had gathered there soon after the Friday prayers. The protesters however, remained adamant and police struggled to get the road cleared of them.

Activist of different religious parties held protest rallies and blocked roads crippling civic life. The law enforcers and administration, on the other hand, played the role of an accommodating host amid the chaos that engulfed both the cities.

Residents of Iqbal Town, Dhok Kala Khan and the areas situated along the Expressway remained cut off from Islamabad for hours as the highway was blocked by the protesters for hours.

“They (the protesters) pelted my car with stones while I was trying to cross a traffic junction near Faizabad. Luckily I was not hit,” said Sajjad Khan who was returning home to Rawalpindi after office hours.

The strike call was given by religious parties and groups including Tehreek-e-Tahafooz-i-Namoos-e-Risalat, Sunni Ittehad Council and Jamaat-i-Islami. The charged activists staged protest demonstration in various parts of city by burning tyres and blocking main roads.

A large number of activists of different religious parties and seminary students started pouring out in shape of groups at  and Chakri Road in the morning and blocked the roads by setting tyres ablaze chanting slogans against the provincial and federal governments, the ATC judge and USA.

Activists of religious parties’ staged protest on Double Road, blocked IJ Principal Road-9th Avenue intersection suspending traffic on the two busiest highways.

The enraged protesters chanted slogans against ATC judge. They also set on fire tyres in the middle of Chungi Number 22 chowk suspending traffic.

Similarly, a protest demonstration was held under the aegis of Tehreek-e-Namoos-e-Risalat at Liaquat Bagh.

They blocked Murree Road. On Peshawar Road, a protest demonstration was staged by ST at Chuhar Chowk.

A number of other religious groups held protest rallies at Ali Town, Adiala Road, Dhamial and on Chakri Road.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2011.