RAWALPINDI/ISLAMABAD: Blocking of the entry points to the twin cities on Tuesday not only created hardship for the commuters but also stopped Prime Minister Azad Kashmir Chaudhry Abdul Majid from entering the capital city at T-Chowk in Rawat.

Sources said after the AJK prime minister’s convoy was stuck in the traffic jam, the security establishment decided to remove the container from T-Chowk to allow his convoy to enter the capital.

In addition to the AJK prime minister, hundreds of commuters also remained stranded on either side of T-Chowk.

Citizens panicked as rumours of curfew spread in capital

The Punjab government had to block all the entry points once again to prevent the opposition party activists from reaching Islamabad to join the participants of the sit-ins staged by the PTI and PAT and move towards the Red Zone.

The police were ordered to block the entry points at T-Chowk, Mandra toll plaza, Margalla, Soan Bridge, Tarnol and Bhara Kahu with containers and barbed wires. Contingents of police were also deployed at the entry points.

Some PTI activists from Taxila and Wah Cantonment, however, used different tracks through the rural areas to reach Islamabad to participate in the rally towards the Red Zone.

A number of passenger vehicles and ambulances remained stuck near Taxila as the police blocked G.T. Road and the motorway.

A PTI rally led by Ijaz Shah and comprising 160 to 170 activists was stopped at Kamra while another rally coming from Talagang was prevented from heading towards Islamabad.

Panic gripped the police after a rally led by Sheikh Rashid Shafiq appeared from Lal Haveli and started heading towards Islamabad.

However, soon the participants of the rally dispersed.

A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, told Dawn that the entry points of the district were blocked again on Tuesday to prevent more people from joining the demonstrators in Islamabad. However, no arrests were made.

“Police are on high alert as extra personnel have been deployed and patrolling started in the city and cantonment areas,” the senior police officer said, adding that the exit points of the twin cities were open.

In Islamabad, the police further beefed up security arrangements after the PTI announced that the participants of the sit-in would proceed towards the Red Zone on Tuesday evening.

The police also closed the road from Rawal Dam Chowk to Faizabad with containers due to which a large number of citizens were seen stranded there.

A police official requesting anonymity said an additional 10,000 personnel were called to the capital from different cities of Punjab.

Moreover, there were rumours that the city would be sealed at 5pm. As a result, a large number of people tried to finish their work and reach home.

There were also rumours in the Tuesday bazaars that a curfew would be imposed at 5pm. As a result, a majority of stallholders also preferred to leave early.

Since Tuesday morning, the movement of police on the city roads increased giving an impression that something extraordinary was going to happen.

Farooq Ahmed, a stallholder at the I-9 weekly bazaar, told Dawn that at noon he heard that a curfew would be imposed in the city at 5pm so everyone should wind up business and go home by around 4pm.

“A large number of stallholders left the area before 4pm because of the fear that if the city was closed they would not be able to reach home,” he said.

Extraordinary rush was also seen on the roads and markets as people wanted to store food and reach home as early as possible.

Shahid Nazir, a citizen, said though he had stored edible items before the start of the marches, he ran out of the stock at the end of last week.

“On Tuesday, I again went to the market and purchased edible items. The price of almost everything has increased. Two weeks ago, I had purchased 30 eggs for Rs195 from the fruit and vegetable market but on Tuesday the same quantity of eggs were selling for Rs245,” he said.

Even the prices of vegetables have gone up. The vegetables which were available for Rs50 per kg two weeks ago are now selling for Rs75 and Rs80,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2014