People throng recreational spots on Eid days

Islamabad : Even after the departure of most residents to hometowns to celebrate Eid, the federal capital didn’t look deserted during the first two days of the post-Ramazan festival, especially on Tuesday.

The reason as cited by a traffic cop was that the people from Rawalpindi and adjoining areas thronged the city. “Most Islooites have gone either to hometowns or on excursion to hill stations like Murree, Abbottabad, Swat, Kaghan and Naran and therefore, the crowds you see on the roads are mostly of non-locals,” insisted a traffic cop deployed at the Faisal Chowk.

As the people went to public places on motorcycles, cars, vans and coaches, the roads leading to Faisal Masjid, Lake View Park, Marghzar Zoo, Pir Sohawa, Shakarparian, Fatima Jinnah Park and Saidpur Model Village remained choked, especially from the afternoon to night.

Modern shopping malls, especially Centraurus, attracted large crowds of such visitors. Though the traffic police were deployed at major roads, the movement on vehicles was slow. The pleasant weather caused by intermittent rainfall contributed to the influx of visitors to recreational places.

Since there were few public transport vehicles on the road, cabbies overcharged commuters at will. At Centaurus, Kamran Shah of Gujar Khan city, which is 60 kolimeters from Islamabad, said he had taken wife and children to Islamabad after spending Eid’s first day in own town with family and friends.

“Our city doesn’t have much for the recreation, especially of children, and therefore, I take them here on every Eid or other festive occasions. Spending few hours in Pir Sohawa, Lakeview Park and Centaurus make their day,” he said.

Muhammad Kamran of Wah Cantonment area said he along cousins came to Islamabad before going to Murree every Eid. “We always spend the second and third days of Eid out of our city. It’s all fun to go from one place to other for recreation,” he said.