RAWALPINDI: The closing of Airport Road to traffic on Wednesday meant hundreds of air passengers had to walk to the airport along with their luggage.

The city traffic police had issued an alternate traffic plan to ensure the smooth flow of traffic during the three day Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) summit in Islamabad and announced that Airport Road will be closed from Chohan Chowk to the Airport. Only passengers with valid air tickets were allowed to go to the airport, and that too on foot when the distance between Chohan Chowk and the airport is a kilometre.

“I was dropped off by my friend near Railway Bridge, Rehmant Abad because the traffic was jammed. I had to come to the airport to take a flight for Karachi so I started on foot with my suitcase because I did not have another option,” said a passenger, Zameerud Din.

Another passenger said he walked the one kilometre to the airport but missed his flight to Karachi.

“Had the concerned authorities planned ahead and arranged a shuttle service, people would not have been inconvenienced. However, the planners are still said to be wiser than the public,” another passenger, Azhar Bhatti, said.

The traffic police had urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travelling from Rawalpindi to Islamabad due to increased security measures for the ECO conference. Traffic jams were witnessed on most roads in the city and commuters were stuck in long queues on either side of Murree Road, downtown city roads and other parts of the city including Peshawar Road, I.J Principal Road, Cricket Stadium Road, Chandni Chowk, Chohan Road and Aamar Chowk.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2017