PTI road block: Protesters block Murree Road, expressway

Protests began after a PTI worker was shot, killed in Faisalabad.

RAWALPINDI: Hundreds of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf activists blocked Islamabad Expressway for almost two hours in protest against the killing of a party activist in Faisalabad.

The protester, burning tyres and shouting slogans, caused traffic snarls and long queues on the road within moments.

Commuters and pedestrians were unable to reach their destinations due to the traffic and many expressed their displeasure at the trend of blocking roads major roads as a form of protest.

Muhammad Rafiq, a resident of Islamabad who was stuck in traffic, told The Express Tribune that he was fed up with the PTI protests. He said it was just destabilising the country and creating law-and-order issues.

Rashid Mehmood, who was going to the airport, said the brunt of the suffering from such protests was borne by the poor, especially daily wagers and labourers, as they cannot get to their workplaces due to the protests.  He said that the government should take concrete measures to stop this.

Ali Nawaz, a PTI activist, told The Express Tribune that they would continue blocking the roads on a daily basis. He said that the intensity of these protests would keep increasing with every passing day. He emphasised that the protest was peaceful and “we gave way to families and ambulances”.

He added that the PTI activists “are protesting for the rights of the people and people who understand this fact would help us”.

These protesters also blocked Muree Road near Bara Kahu for around an hour before dispersing peacefully. No clashes between the police and protestors were reported.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2014.