LAHORE, Sept 20: The Punjab chief minister’s motorcade, en route to Lal Bridge underpass from Allama Iqbal International Airport, was led to an unscheduled direction by the pilot squad, creating panic among the traffic officials concerned on Thursday, it is learnt.

The city traffic police sources confided to Dawn that the motorcade of Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi, accompanied by a media team, was on way to under construction Lal Bridge under-pass for a surprise inspection when the glitch occurred.

Coming through Zahoor Elahi Road, when the motorcade reached near Ferozpur Road under-pass on Canal Road at around 12.30pm, the squad pilot mistakenly led it to the main road which created panic among the traffic officials deployed on Ferozpur Road signal.

“As barriers were already placed on the signal to stop general commuters from travelling towards Lal bridge under-pass, the motorcade had to be directed towards the FC College under-pass from Ferozpur Road signal to maintain the flow and finally the chief minister reached the spot after taking a u-turn from FC-College signal and using Ferozpur Road under-pass,” the sources said.