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RAWALPINDI, Dec 19: The people fully utilized the few arrangements the city had to offer for Eid celebrations.
In Rawalpindi Cantonment, Ayub National Park was the main attraction for holiday-makers who reached there in cars, cabs and bikes to create quite a bustle — with all those children having a go at the slides and the swings.
Similarly, the Shamsabad and Commercial Centre parks in Satellite Town were witness to joyous festivities.
The brief spell of rain on Tuesday marred the festivities to some extent but was nevertheless a welcome sign, coming as it did after a long dry spell. The clouded Monday, which had given rise to hopes of a pleasant turn in weather, led to just 2mm of rain on Tuesday.
Cinemas, too, drew huge crowds with several new Urdu and Punjabi films being released on Eid. The PTV and other Pakistani and foreign channels presented special programmes on the Eid days.
A lack of newspapers due to Eid holidays made the people switch to foreign news channels to keep track of the latest news from Southwest Asia and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, wagons, buses and coasters coming to the city were fully loaded on Wednesday with the people returning from their hometowns after Eid celebrations.
APP adds: People of almost all the ages thronged the parks and public places on the third day of Eidul Fitr as part of their celebrations on Wednesday.
It was the last holiday out of the total three already announced by the government.
The situation in the capital was totally different from the past which is known for presenting deserted looks on the occasions of national or religious galas.
The spots like, Children Park donated by Japan, Shakkar Parian, Daman-e-Koh, Margalla Hills National Park and other big and small parks in different sectors of the capital continued to receive visitors throughout the holidays.
Commenting on the situation, a veteran citizen said this year more rush is seen as compared to the previous ones especially on the Eidul Fitr.
“The people might have refrained themselves from travelling due to increasing travel cost and opted to remain in the town and celebrate the gala,” said Muhammad Rafiq.
Another citizen commented that the Pindiites had thronged the parks of capital as no matching recreation spot is available in town. On the second and third day of Eid, people also visited the hill station of Murree.
A visitor to Murree said that he went there for excursion as it was the best choice to visit a place like Murree during the holidays.
Besides picnicking, the people continued visiting places of their relatives to exchange greetings on this auspicious occasion.
This year there happened to be four holidays including Sunday being closed holiday and three holidays announced by the government providing people an opportunity to celebrate their gala in more relaxed and soothing way.
In the past, there had been two holidays but this time the joys of gala had increased following the announcement of three holidays on this occasion.
On Tuesday, the second day of Eid, despite a cool winter morning and an overcast weather, people kept up to the tradition of enjoying Eid.
Wrapping their toddlers in warm clothes, the people shrugged of the threats of a dry-winter to visit public parts and other recreational spots.
For the inhabitants of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, there is the luxury of picking up a spot of their choice, specially for those who look for a place that is accessible by public transport.
The National Park, Jungle Kingdom, Municipal Park and 502 Park in Rawalpindi, Shakarparian, Rawal Dam, Rose and Jasmine Garden, Japanese Park and Daman-i-Koh in the federal capital, are the spots easily approachable by the people.
People of all age groups were seen enjoying the festivity of Eid in the parks on Monday. Taxi drivers charged fares according to their will from the passengers.
However, on Tuesday afternoon, bad weather forced the public to return home. In the evening, public transport remained sparse, due to which common people faced problems.
On the third day of Eid, activities in the twin cities started to return to normal, and public transport began to ply on the roads. Pleasant weather on Wednesday drew a large number of people to public parks and picnic spots.
