Students decorated various bus stations in the twin cities as other residents thronged stations close to their neighbourhoods. PHOTO: AFP, ONLINE
Workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) celebrated the occasion with dancing to party songs after the bus service was officially inaugurated. They held small congregations at various places in the garrison city waving party flags and carrying placards inscribed with slogans congratulating the party leadership.
Huge banners with pictures of the prime minister and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and local PML-N leaders were installed along the route of the metro bus. Pir Mehr Ali Shah Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi (PMAS-AAUR) Vice-Chancellor Rai Niaz also congratulated the government with a huge banner carrying pictures of the prime minister, chief minister and himself outside the university.
National College of Arts Rawalpindi, Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), (PMAS-AAUR) and the Rawalpindi Arts Council decorated metro stations outside their premises. Art works and decorations at different stations highlighted the culture of different regions of the country. Mareer Hassan Chowk, decorated by the FJWU students, portrays Sindhi culture.
Scores of people gathered at various bus stations along the metro route in Islamabad and Rawalpindi to either be among the first ones to travel by the bus or just to watch the festivities. Loudspeakers installed at all stations played anthems and national songs.
“We are very happy today, and thank the PML-N government for completing this mega project. The bus service will surely change the dynamics of the inter-city commute,” said Sajid Imran, a resident of Shamsabad.
CM Sharif took a brief ride on the bus as wll, waving to the public and his party workers gathered along the route.
Traffic jam
The festivities, however, were marred by closure of several roads earlier in the day as part of the heightened security measures.
As the Sharif brothers were scheduled to tour the metro bus route, thousands of police personnel were deployed along the route and several avenues closed. Murree Road, Double Road and the Jinnah Avenue were closed for traffic.
Traffic snarl-ups were witnessed on IJ Principal Road, Rawal Road, Airport Road, Islamabad Expressway and other link roads.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 5th, 2015.
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