ISLAMABAD: Closed to the public nearly a decade ago for security reasons, D-Chowk, will soon be open to traffic, a Capital Development Authority (CDA) official revealed on Thursday.

Before being cordoned off, the intersection was used to reach Parliament House, the Supreme Court and other parts of the Red Zone.

“We have received directions from the Ministry of Interior to remove all the containers and clear the road. We may fix gates at D-Chowk, which can be closed in case of any emergency or protests, and otherwise the road can remain open,” CDA Member Planning and Design Asad Mehboob Kayani said on Thursday in response to a question raised by Senator Yousaf Badini.

Senator Badini had raised the matter of severe traffic congestion during rush hour at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, and asked why Jinnah Avenue is not open to traffic at D-Chowk.

“Currently, people use Agha Khan Road, Margalla Avenue, Khayaban-i-Suhrawardy and the road that leads to Radio Pakistan to go to Pak Secretariat, Parliament House, Supreme Court, Prime Minister’s Office and a number of other prominent buildings,” he said.

“It will reduce the load of traffic if Jinnah Avenue is opened for traffic, because a large number of people will prefer to use the road to enter the Red Zone,” he said.

Committee chairman Talha Mahmood said a check post could be established on D-Chowk, or a little ahead of it, after which the road could be opened to traffic.

Senator Kalsoom Parveen added that there was no need for gates, saying that nobody attempts to cross the barrier on normal days whereas the barrier can be broken by two jeeps in cases of protests. She said that rather than fixing a gate, D-Chowk should be opened to traffic.

Prior to its closure, D-Chowk was a popular site for morning and evening walks due to its stairs, and the Pakistan Day parade was a regular feature there until 2008.

In addition to the parade passing from the area, rehearsals for the parade were also held at D-Chowk, and were major source of attraction for the public.

D-Chowk was closed almost a decade ago due to security concerns and protests by lawyers calling for the restoration of then chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. In 2015, then interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said a monument for martyrs would be built at D-Chowk and claimed it would no longer be a useful site for protesters and agitators.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2017