RAWALPINDI: Protests, rallies and construction work in various parts of the city caused long traffic jams from Wednesday afternoon until well into the evening, including on Murree Road, Airport Road and Peshawar Road.

Young doctors blocked Murree Road for more than two hours and the same road was blocked by a rally held on the occasion of Youm-i-Inhidaam Jannatul Baqee.

Young doctors from three hospitals went on strike for three hours against centralised induction introduced by the Punjab government. More than 200 doctors gathered at Benazir Bhutto Hospital and blocked Murree Road.

Meanwhile the Youm-i-Inhidaam Jannatul Baqee rally was held on the call of Tehreek Nifaz-i-Fiqh Jaffria (TNFJ) Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi in protest against the destruction of the shrines of Hazrat Syeda Fatima and the companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Jannatul Baqi and Jannatul Moallah.

The main procession started from Imambargah Nasir Al-Aza on Murree Road, moving towards Committee Chowk via Murree Road.

Foolproof security arrangements were made for the rally. Police officers and other law enforcement agencies remained with the rally throughout.

The traffic police blocked Benazir Bhutto Road from Chandni Chowk to Committee Chowk by putting barriers so the procession could pass safely.

Traffic was diverted from Islamabad to Rawal Road and traffic wardens stopped traffic from crossing the Chandni Chowk flyover, forcing vehicles to either go towards Commercial Market on the right or to Rawal Road on the left.

Traffic was also blocked from Saddar to Committee Chowk. Vehciles had to take a U-turn as they were not allowed to enter Iqbal Road towards Raja Bazaar.

The blockade put extra burden on Liaquat Road and Gawalmandi Road along with major streets in Dhoke Khabba and Dhoke Chiraghdin.

Senior Traffic Officer Iftikharul Haq said that the city traffic police had made its best effort to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Though traffic officers were deployed on all roads, they seemed not able to help the situation and could not even guide people to alternative routes.

“The traffic police are just spectators and are issuing challans instead of informing people about the blocked roads,” said Mohammad Imran, a motorist on Murree Road.

Another motorist, Akhter Hussein said though traffic jams wee routine in the city, Wednesday was one of the worst days for traffic congestion and that he had been stuck on a road for three hours between 3:00pm and 6:00pm when he had set out on a 15 minute drive from Liaquat Bagh to 6th road.

Traffic police should make arrangements for alternative routes before rallies and protests, said Mohammad Sajid.

“Inefficiency of the traffic police is wasting our time and fuel,” he said, adding that construction work on Koral Chowk should be completed soon in order to avoid further jams.

Traffic jams were also seen on Benazir Bhutto Road, Expressway, Rawal Raoad, Tipu Road, Airport Road, IJ Principal Road, Saidpur Road and other main roads in the city.

A commuter, Saeed Mughal said he had left Islamabad for Rawalpindi via Pirwadhai at about 3:00pm and managed to reach at Kohati Bazar within an hour but was stuck in traffic jam at Chandni Chowk as diversions were placed on Benazir Bhutto Road.

“I had to go to the commercial market in Satellite Town to visit a doctor but due to traffic jam, I changed my plans,” said another motorist said.

She said that it seemed as if there was no district administration or traffic police in the city on Wednesday

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2016