Blocked roads continue to traumatise twin cities’ dwellers

Rawalpindi : Without any protest rally or ‘sit-in’, the public of twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad continued facing hell like situation due to the closure of all entry and exit points all around twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad for the second consecutive day, thanks to poor management of the sitting government in handling the issue non-seriously.

People belonging to different walks of life particularly Higher Secondary School Certificate students who wanted to apply in Special Exams to improve their marks faced the worst difficulties to reach the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) office near Morgha because of the road blockades here on Saturday.

Meanwhile, prices of all vegetables, fruits, and other items have gone to the sky due to the closure of roads and stoppage of supply.

The government has already caught over 150 containers, trucks, and trailers for over four days. Therefore, other containers, trucks, and trailer owners were not ready to continue supply in this situation. The Islamabad Sabzi Mandi which was the only Sabzi Mandi here in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad is facing the worst shortage of all vegetables and other items for two days.

On the other hand, containers, truck, and trailer owners have strongly protested against the government for forcefully impounding their containers for over four days. The drivers and conductors said that some of the containers were filled with eatables but the government was not considering the problems of poor people.

Metro Bus Service (MBS) was suspended on the second consecutive day due to an uncertain situation while thousands of passengers ladies and gents wandering here and there in search of transports.

While motorcyclists either manoeuvred through the parked trucks or wriggled under them to cross the blockades at Double Road, Murree Road, Rawal Road, Tipu Road, and Rashid Minhas Road to reach their destinations as offices in twin cities are open and people have no option but to join them fearing reprimand from higher-ups.

In fear of protest rallies of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and banned Tehreek Labaik Pakistan (TLP), the local administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad closed all entry and exit points with heavy containers, trucks and trailers creating worst kind of difficulties for common citizens for two days.

Even on the second day, pedestrians could not move easily due to the closure of all entry and exit points around the twin cities. The office goers and school-going children could not reach their destinations due to road blockades. There was a thin presence of students in private and public educational institutions because parents were worried due to the situation.

Public transports like wagons, Suzuki, rickshaws, buses, and taxicabs were thin on roads due to the present law and order situation. Some of taxicabs and rickshaws plying on roads buy demanding skyrocketing fares.

All markets on Murree Road from Saddar to Faizabad were completely closed while some banks and petrol pumps also remained closed due to the situation on the second day of road blockades.

The Faizabad Interchange was like a ‘Red Zone’ for two days where officials of law enforcement agencies completely occupied it from all sides.

The motorists coming from Murree, Lahore, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could not reach Faizabad because all ways were completely closed from all sides. The T-Chowk, Soan Bridge, Tarnol, and Kashmir Highway were also closed for two days.

The citizens of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have appealed PTI government to open all roads to ease public life. There was neither a protest rally of PDM nor Long March of TLP, then why government closed all entry and exit points of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, people strongly condemned. Government should feel public grievances or announce public holidays in this situation, citizens demanded.