Troubles come a day early for residents of twin cities
Commuters suffer due to roadblocks, markets remain empty
Motorcyclists find a unique way to get passed a barricade at Soan bridge, while commuters were forced to walk beyond this point. PHOTO: WASEEM NAZIR/EXPRESS
RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD:
Troubles for the twin cities arrived a day ahead of the “million-man march”.
With entry and exit points barricaded, a few cars ventured onto roads. Commuters waited for hours on end to get wagons for their destinations. Others lost patience and booked taxis instead.
Rehman Khan, who came from Rawalpindi to Islamabad, said, “I had to switch four wagons to reach Super Market [in sector F-6].”
Ramzan Ali, a sanitary worker, had to get some tools from Raja Bazaar in Rawalpindi. “It took me the entire day to get there and two hours just to buy some tools.”
A lady waiting with three kids at Zero Point was visibly miffed. She said, “I have been waiting for three hours. I have to go to F-11 but they transporters say they will just drop us off at Karachi Company [in sector G-9].”
The transporters, meanwhile, said that diversions and road closures has made it hard for them to operate. “We are told to turn from here and enter from there. There are restrictions everywhere,” said Majidullah, a van driver on Route No. 1. Instead of his usual six round trips, he said he will end his run between the twin cities after the current one due to the inconvenience.
Khalil Sufi of Islamabad Citizen’s Committee said, “The government is so busy in blocking the way of the participants of long march and protecting the Parliament House that they forget the rest of people.”
There was also a shortage of vegetables and fruits in the markets. Moreover, the number of people in the markets on Sunday was much fewer than usual. The trader associations in Islamabad were asked if they can shut down shops for three days, but they refused. Even though they were open on Sunday, they had much fewer customers to tend to.
Khalil, who runs a juice shop in F-6, said, “The march has not even reached Islamabad and we are facing low number of customers.”
Tahir Khan, who runs a shoe shop in Aabpara, said they will decide early on Monday morning whether to open up or not.
Nizaman Abbasi, a shopkeeper in G-7, said, “We are told that we open shops [on Monday] at our own risk.”
Preparations for the march
The city police, meanwhile, put large containers on the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) near T Chowk in Rawat, at Soan Bridge near the building where the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench sits. They also blocked entry into Islamabad from the Islamabad Highway at the Faizabad interchange.
The traffic from GT Road has been reduced to a single file, in an attempt to disrupt the march. Officials said the marchers will only be able to go Islamabad on foot in small groups on Monday.
Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Israr Abbasi said they will not allow the marchers to enter Rawalpindi, and would let them go directly to Islamabad via Rawat. He added that the Minhajul Quran International (MQI) activists in Rawalpindi will be allowed to go to Islamabad in small groups on foot via the Benazir Bhutto Road.
Security arrangements
In a press statement, SP Special Branch Syed Ali Mohsin said a police vehicle with jammers would pilot the long marchers as soon as they enter Rawalpindi district in Gujar Khan. Another vehicle carrying sniffer dogs, explosive and metal detectors will sweep the route ahead of the marchers on the GT Road.
Moreover, metal detectors will be installed and sniffer dogs deployed at all points on the GT Road where people may join the rally, the statement said, adding that the rally will be monitored via video coverage.
Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar said the people coming from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Murree will reach Islamabad from Kashmir Highway and from Murree Road respectively, without entering the garrison city.
He added that due to security concerns, they had advised Qadri to not step out of his vehicle in Gujar Khan if he wanted to speak to the marchers.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2013.
Troubles for the twin cities arrived a day ahead of the “million-man march”.
With entry and exit points barricaded, a few cars ventured onto roads. Commuters waited for hours on end to get wagons for their destinations. Others lost patience and booked taxis instead.
Rehman Khan, who came from Rawalpindi to Islamabad, said, “I had to switch four wagons to reach Super Market [in sector F-6].”
Ramzan Ali, a sanitary worker, had to get some tools from Raja Bazaar in Rawalpindi. “It took me the entire day to get there and two hours just to buy some tools.”
A lady waiting with three kids at Zero Point was visibly miffed. She said, “I have been waiting for three hours. I have to go to F-11 but they transporters say they will just drop us off at Karachi Company [in sector G-9].”
The transporters, meanwhile, said that diversions and road closures has made it hard for them to operate. “We are told to turn from here and enter from there. There are restrictions everywhere,” said Majidullah, a van driver on Route No. 1. Instead of his usual six round trips, he said he will end his run between the twin cities after the current one due to the inconvenience.
Khalil Sufi of Islamabad Citizen’s Committee said, “The government is so busy in blocking the way of the participants of long march and protecting the Parliament House that they forget the rest of people.”
There was also a shortage of vegetables and fruits in the markets. Moreover, the number of people in the markets on Sunday was much fewer than usual. The trader associations in Islamabad were asked if they can shut down shops for three days, but they refused. Even though they were open on Sunday, they had much fewer customers to tend to.
Khalil, who runs a juice shop in F-6, said, “The march has not even reached Islamabad and we are facing low number of customers.”
Tahir Khan, who runs a shoe shop in Aabpara, said they will decide early on Monday morning whether to open up or not.
Nizaman Abbasi, a shopkeeper in G-7, said, “We are told that we open shops [on Monday] at our own risk.”
Preparations for the march
The city police, meanwhile, put large containers on the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) near T Chowk in Rawat, at Soan Bridge near the building where the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench sits. They also blocked entry into Islamabad from the Islamabad Highway at the Faizabad interchange.
The traffic from GT Road has been reduced to a single file, in an attempt to disrupt the march. Officials said the marchers will only be able to go Islamabad on foot in small groups on Monday.
Rawalpindi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Israr Abbasi said they will not allow the marchers to enter Rawalpindi, and would let them go directly to Islamabad via Rawat. He added that the Minhajul Quran International (MQI) activists in Rawalpindi will be allowed to go to Islamabad in small groups on foot via the Benazir Bhutto Road.
Security arrangements
In a press statement, SP Special Branch Syed Ali Mohsin said a police vehicle with jammers would pilot the long marchers as soon as they enter Rawalpindi district in Gujar Khan. Another vehicle carrying sniffer dogs, explosive and metal detectors will sweep the route ahead of the marchers on the GT Road.
Moreover, metal detectors will be installed and sniffer dogs deployed at all points on the GT Road where people may join the rally, the statement said, adding that the rally will be monitored via video coverage.
Rawalpindi District Coordination Officer (DCO) Saqib Zafar said the people coming from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Murree will reach Islamabad from Kashmir Highway and from Murree Road respectively, without entering the garrison city.
He added that due to security concerns, they had advised Qadri to not step out of his vehicle in Gujar Khan if he wanted to speak to the marchers.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 14th, 2013.