PESHAWAR, Oct 10: Movement of the very important persons on Wednesday led to traffic congestion on different roads in the provincial capital to the misery of motorists and commuters.

Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Masood Kausar, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti, Interior Minister Rehman Malik, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, MNA Dr Azra Fazal Pecheho, who is also the sister of President Zardari, and other provincial ministers visited the Combined Military Hospital to inquire after Malala Yousafzai, the 13-year-old girl advocate of the girls’ education from Swat, who was under treatment there after being attacked by Taliban militants.

Civil and military police closed down the roads linked with the Mall, leading to long queues of vehicles.

Public transport vehicles have already been stopped from using Khyber Road on security grounds. On Wednesday, vans and taxis, too, were denied entry to the road. Only Sher Shah Soori Road remained open to traffic but it was congested.

People complained of inconvenience on the way to their offices.

Entry of civilians was restricted to Fakhr Alam Road, Mall Road and Arbab Road was restricted and even pedestrians were not allowed to use the Mall during the VIP movement.

Demonstrations staged on Sher Shah Soori Road on different issues added to the problem. Vehicles on the road moved at a snail’s pace all the day.

Traffic police said the administration had asked them to remove vehicles parked by the roads to counter terrorism. —Bureau Report