Collateral damage: Two deaths blamed on stranded ambulances

PTI workers force suspension of Metro Bus Service.

LAHORE: Two patients died on board ambulances at Shahdara Chowk on Monday as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers had blocked the roads leading to hospitals, Adviser to Chief Minister on Health Khwaja Salman Rafique said.

“They were a 17-day-old girl, Sidra Riaz, and a 15-year-old boy. They were being taken to Children’s Hospital from Shahdara Hospital,” he said.

A traffic warden on duty at Shahdara said he had witnessed the incident.

“We tried our best to get the ambulances through but there were too many protesters to be forced out of the way,” he told The Express Tribune requesting anonymity. Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Tayyab Hafeez Cheema said 3,600 traffic police officials had been deployed across the city to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.

He said traffic wardens had escorted ambulances in several areas, including at Shahdara. He said the protesters had briefly stopped a University of Engineering and Technology bus on GT Road. Traffic wardens had later escorted the bus to its destination, the CTO said.

Some of the activists punctured a tyre on a Dayal Singh College bus on Lower Mall.



Insaf Students’ Federation member Ahmad Khan said his workers had not stopped any ambulance.

“This was a peaceful protest,” said Khan who was one of the PTI workers enforcing a blockade at Mozang Chungi.

Skirmishes

Skirmishes were reported in Bhati Gate area after some stick-wielding PTI workers forced shopkeepers to close their businesses. They also stopped motorcyclists from driving through the area. Police rescued one of the motorcyclists who was beaten up by several protesters.

Unidentified people clashed with PTI protesters at Chungi Amar Sidhu who tried to stop a Rescue 1122 vehicle.

A PTI supporter beat up a man on Brandreth Road when the latter refused to hand over the keys of his motorcycle. Some Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers beat up the PTI men for shouting ‘Go Nawaz Go’ in the area.

The Metro Bus Service was suspended early on Monday after the protesters pelted a bus with stones at Chungi Amar Sidhu. Some of them marched on the track reserved for the service. A PTI office-bearer said Gullu Butts of the PML-N were provoking their workers. “We had warned the government against this.”

Operations DIG Haider Ashraf said the PTI workers had picketed at 28 points although they had given an undertaking earlier not to block roads at other than 18 agreed points.

He said 15,000 policemen had been deployed to maintain order in the city. He said 3,000 Punjab Constabulary officials were also on duty.

Long queues of vehicles were seen near the City railway station, Aik Moria Pul, Do Moria Pul and Chauburji Chowk.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 16^th, 2014.