JUI-F workers block GT Road under ‘Plan-B’

LAHORE:Dozens of JUI-F workers gathered and blocked the GT road near Imamia Colony railway crossing on Monday for nearly five hours in connection with the “Plan-B” of its agitation movement against the government, following the lifting of the Islamabad sit-in few days back.

The charged workers holding banners, flags and raising slogans against the PTI leadership, remained sitting on the main track of GT Road peacefully without creating any turbulence, as they allowed the traffic to pass on through the service roads or side lanes, especially the goods transport carrying essential commodities, ambulances and vehicles carrying women and children.

According to JUI-F local leadership, the “Plan-B” against the PTI government had not originally include blocking of the main roads leading into Punjab Capital but on Sunday they were instructed by the central leadership to begin blocking the major arteries going into Lahore. The workers reached the spot after Zohr prayers, spread mats on the road and set up barricades, as the police began diverted the traffic to the service roads or alternative routes.

Yet the creation of a bottleneck resulted in the disruption of traffic moving between Lahore and Gujranwala towards Rawalpindi, causing long queues of traffic on the GT Road near Muridke, Kamonke and Shahdara. The workers staging the sit-in returned to their homes after Maghrib prayers, resuming the normal traffic. The sit-in will be continued until the next announcement by the party leadership as the workers will resume the protest today (Tuesday) afternoon, the sources said.

The JUI-F leaders told media that the objective of the sit-in was not to block traffic or cause problems for commuters and public, but it was to register the protest and public anger against the anti-people and dictated policies of the government which was imposing foreign agenda on the people. That was the reason we facilitated the traffic causing the minimum possible inconvenience to the people.

Our correspondent adds: Lahore police deputed over 100 cops at Imamia Colony Phatak under the supervision of a DSP and an SP to maintain law and order in the wake of a lockdown call of the JUI-F leader under his Plan-B on Monday.

Eight upper subordinates and two inspectors would monitor the duties of cops. Meanwhile, traffic flow was affected by the sit-in of JUI-F on GT Road. The traffic flow was halted for the traffic moving from Lahore to Gujranwala. However, traffic coming from Gujranwala to Lahore was plying normally. City traffic Police deputed additional force to divert traffic on alternate routes. Traffic from Barkat Puli was sent to Badu Puli. Traffic going outside City was sent to Begum Kot Chowk, Dosaku Chowk from Shahdra Chowk. The traffic from Ravi Road was sent to Ring Road through Babu Sabu, Saggian motorway. Citizens can get help from Rasta app, FM 88.6 and Rescue 15 regarding traffic situation on roads. Meanwhile, motorway police also issued traffic advisory for road users.