ISLAMABAD: The capital administration and police’s wait-and-see approach to a rally by religious groups in the city paralysed the capital on Wednesday, allowing the rally to enter the capital and later occupy Faizabad Bridge.

Earlier, a few rounds of meetings were held between administration and police officials, and the leadership of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Yah Rasool Allah Pakistan and Sunni Tehreek Pakistan - the rally’s organisers - but the two sides were unable to reach an understanding, officials confirmed to Dawn.

A multi-departmental meeting of the administration and police was also held that culminated without any concrete decisions or strategies in place to counter the rally or avoid inconveniencing or disturbing the peace in the capital.

The rally was held to protest a lack of punishment for those involved in making already reversed changes to the Khatm-i-Nabuwat declaration for electoral candidates.

Administration’s wait-and-see approach results in hastily blocked roads, traffic congestion as commuters seek alternative routes

However, it was decided to seal the Red Zone except for one road that was left open for the movement of officials, they said.

Containers were also brought to Faizabad and Zero Point and placed at the side of the roads to use once the strength and mood of the rally had been observed, they said, adding that strategies for the situation were pending until the rally reached Islamabad.

On Tuesday, there had been reports that the rally stayed in Rawat, and would march towards Islamabad via Rawalpindi Wednesday morning, which led the capital’s authorities to relax. However, the rally of over 4,000 participants entered Rawalpindi at around 10pm on Tuesday, and was welcomed by over a thousand people who joined from there. Before midnight, the rally was nearing Faizabad.

When the matter was brought to the knowledge of senior administration and police officers, they responded once more with the wait-and-see approach. On Wednesday morning, some rally participants entered the capital from Faizabad, and moved onto Murree Road and Islamabad Highway.

By the time officials arrived, Faizabad Bridge had been occupied by members of the rally, along with all of its loops. Officials said the authorities only had time to block Rawal Dam Chowk on Murree Road, and the Zero Point interchange leading to Kashmir Highway.

Senior administration officials, including an assistant commissioner, and the police attempted to approach the leadership of the participating groups to negotiate, but were intercepted and threatened by rally participants and group activists.

By evening, the efforts of the capital’s authorities and the rally had left the capital paralysed. Most of the roads connecting Rawalpindi and Islamabad were choked due to the authorities’ poor planning, and the rest by the rally.

Hundreds of vehicles were stuck on Park Road, Lehtrar Road, I.J. Principal Road, 9th Avenue and Kashmir Highway near Golra Mor, as commuters sought alternatives to Faizabad.

Over 5,000 activists and supporters of the two groups, along with their leadership, were present at Faizabad, officials said. They also held a press conference, during which they demanded the removal of a minister by noon on Thursday and announced that they would make further strategies for their demands after the deadline.

Rawalpindi

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s motorcade was part of a traffic jam on the Mall in Rawalpindi, where it remained for half an hour on the way to the Noor Khan Airbase.

The congestion was caused after members of the Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah rally blocked the Faizabad interchange. Although the local authorities had been alerted for Mr Sharif’s arrival in Rawalpindi on the way to the airbase, traffic police were unable to control the congestion caused by the closure of the Islamabad Expressway.

Mr Sharif travelled from Kashmir Highway to Golra Mor, after which his convoy of more than 12 vehicles took Peshawar Road, and arrived at Noor Khan Airbase via The Mall and Airport.

The motorcade was trapped in a traffic jam near the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology, and then at the district courts. However, the convoy got a free way from Jinnah Park to Airport. The traffic police had also closed off all the roads connecting to The Mall and Airport Road in order to clear the way for the former prime minister.

MNA Hamza Shahbaz, son of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, and a foreign delegation were also caught in a traffic jam caused by the closure of the Faizabad interchange by the rally.

City residents and commuters were also faced with hardship due to traffic congestion on almost all of the city’s major and small roads.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic was witnessed on Airport Road, Peshawar Road, Katcheri, Rashid Minhas Road, Murree Road, I.J. Principal Road, Commercial Market, 6th Road, 7th Road, Chandni Chowk, Kuri Road, Sadiqabad, Rawal Road, Chah Sultan, Mall Road, Saddar, Kashmir Road, Haider Road, Adam Jee Road, Police Station Road and other roads connected to the Faizabad interchange.

Chief Traffic Officer Shahid Ali Yousaf deployed additional traffic wardens to tackle the congestion and place diversions.

Mr Yousaf told Dawn that the police have announced a special traffic plan to facilitate citizens. He said commuters can reach Islamabad via Double Road and 9th Avenue, as well as Airport Road and Peshawar Road.

He said the police also diverted all heavy traffic entering Islamabad via T-Chowk, Rawat, towards Peshawar Road, and all the heavy traffic from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been diverted to the Motorway.

“We immediately called more forces from all the tehsils in Rawalpindi to control the traffic. The VIP movement also hurt but gradually improved the situation,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2017