09 January 2004	Friday	16 Ziqa'ad 1424

ISLAMABAD, Jan 8: Thousands of commuters faced great inconvenience on Wednesday afternoon when all link roads on the VVIP route were closed by the police to ensure uninterrupted and safe passage to President Gen Pervez Musharraf.

The traffic was blocked from 3pm to 6pm. Long queues of vehicles could be seen on the Constitution Avenue, Club Road, Islamabad Highway, Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy, 6th Avenue, Attaturk Avenue, Murree Road, Airport Link Road, IJ Principal Road and Kashmir Highway.

As a result, no public transport was seen on the specified routes and people returning from their offices and business places in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were stranded on the bus/van stops.

Women and children suffered the most as they had to wait for long hours in the cold weather. Even ambulances were seen stuck in the traffic, while the patients also faced great difficulties in reaching hospitals.

As more than one route is cleared for the president's motorcade after the second attempt on his life, there is no specified time for convey's movement. The roads remain blocked for unspecified duration, but Wednesday's blockade was the worst as it lasted over three hours.

The PIA's flight schedule was also disturbed because of the traffic blockade as passengers failed to reach the airport in time. The Karachi-bound PK-369, which was scheduled to leave at 3pm, was delayed for almost five hours as it was re-scheduled for 8:30pm.