ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: The capital police on Monday morning adopted an easy way out after a hoax bomb call received at a local hotel and blocked all roads leading to Aabpara and Melody market, bringing life to a standstill and leaving thousands of commuters stranded near the Convention Centre for about three hours.

The main roads and localities affected by the road blockades and temporary police checkposts included the Serena Hotel Chowk, Radio Pakistan road, Islamabad Club road and Kashmir Highway.

The worst sufferers among the traffic jams were students and employees of various institutions who were supposed to reach their institutions on time.

“My mid-term paper was scheduled to start in the morning but I am stuck in the traffic jam for the last one hour. My whole preparation for the paper is ruined,” said an angry student, Fatima Shabbir.

She criticised the Islamabad police for their poor management which led to the traffic congestion, she added.

“It took me two hours to cross the Serena Hotel Chowk because of tight security leaving me with no option but to move at a snail’s pace” said Nazar Hussain, a government servant.

Meanwhile, business activities at the Melody market also came to a halt as the cement blocks put on the road by the police forced costumers away from entering the business centre.

“It’s a full working day after Eid and we were hoping business as usual but the police are showing their efficiency resulting in our business downfall,” said a trader, Mr Ishtiaq.

He said it was high time the government took concrete measures to save the citizens from the recurring harassment on city roads.

The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) officials on the occasion seemed helpless to control the massive traffic influx from the Convention Centre, Islamabad Club road and Kashmir Highway.

A traffic police official told Dawn that they had tried their best to ensure smooth flow of traffic but the blockades put on various roads led to complete snarl-ups.

“We are well aware of the miseries of the commuters due to the traffic jam in the morning rush hour but we have no other options,” the official maintained.

“It’s a late night security alert and we have to act upon the orders given by the top brass of the police because of the prevailing law and order situation,” he added.Regarding Melody double road blockade, he said, “We placed the barricades on the directives of the Islamabad police as the hotel had received a threat call”.