July 05, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 19, 1428

ISLAMABAD, July 4: Minor Bilal is crying for milk since Wednesday afternoon. His father Abid was caught completely offguard when the Rangers sealed Islamabad’s G-6 sector. Abid had no past experience of living under the curfew and had no time to prepare for it. His fridge can no more preserve milk for longer because of electricity shutdown in his G-6/3 sub-sector.

But Abid’s agony is not unique. Almost everyone caught in the curfew zone is faced with a somewhat similar crisis. They all are victims of a situation never witnessed in Islamabad. Indeed, this is the first time in the capital’s history that an indefinite curfew has been clamped in any of its residential districts. Therefore, they could not make arrangements in advance to cope with the shortages.

Little Sara and Amna in G-6-1/4 are no exception. They have also run short of milk. Their father Wajeeh can only see them in complete helplessness. “I had no idea of the situation, otherwise I could have managed packed or powdered milk in advance,” Wajeeh told Dawn. “We are confined to the four walls. We cannot step out, what to talk of reaching some far-away market to purchase milk for our kids.”

Almost every street of the area has a different tale to tell. Rangers were deployed in all streets to keep on warning the residents. Milkmen were not allowed to enter the high security zone on Wednesday morning. The Rangers had issued warning to the residents to stay indoor otherwise they would be fired at. Many residents said the administration should relax curfew for an hour or so to enable the residents to purchase essential items, particularly milk.

Asif, a resident of G-6/3, said a majority of his neighbours were not allowed to perform Fajr prayers in Qutab Shahi Mosque for security reasons. He said his one-year-old nephew kept on crying the whole night because it was difficult for anybody to fall asleep.

Asfandyar, an employee of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), could not get out of his hostel room. He was among 13 other bachelors in a private hostel in G-6-1/3 who normally have their meals from the market. They could not get their breakfast and remained without lunch.

A resident of G-6-1/2 died a natural death on Wednesday and his neighbours had to use maximum influence through the ministry of interior to ensure safe passage for his funeral procession, said a retired government official, Mohammad Ramzan. His own daughter-in-law was admitted to a private hospital in critical condition, but his family members were not allowed to reach her.

About 30 or so women at a nearby girls hostel remained stranded the entire day, but some of them managed to be evacuated from the back side in the midst of an uneasy calm that prevailed in the entire capital.

Mustafa, a resident of G-6-1/4, said it seemed if he was living in an enemy state. “Our freedom has been taken away by the government and our basic rights have been encroached upon for no crime.” He, however, felt comfortable with uninterrupted power supply that enabled his family to watch television.

Doctors at the Mother, Child Health in G-6/3, a subsidiary of the Federal Government Services Hospital, said they had to postpone a number of operations due to shortage of medicines and staff.

It was, however, complete disappointment for Ilyas, a supporter of Lal Masjid clerics, when he saw Maulana Abdul Aziz’s arrest on television. Just before his arrest, Ilyas was of the view that the two clerics were sons of Maulana Abdullah who never showed signs of weakness even in extreme pressures since he shifted from Noorani Masjid in Karachi to Lal Masjid in 1966. Abdullah was a Mazari-Baloch from Dera Ismail Khan whose father was also arrested by the British for his strong statements.