PESHAWAR: Three protest demonstrations on a major thoroughfare outside the provincial assembly building caused traffic gridlock for several hours here on Monday.

The protesters showed up in large numbers to press for their demands as the assembly resumed session.

They included employees of the Worker Welfare Board and the residents of Malakand and Lakki Marwat districts.

The protests led to the suspension of traffic on Khyber Road from afternoon to evening causing traffic mess on GT Road along with downtown and adjacent roads.

Cars crawled along bumper to bumper on the GT Road, one of the city’s busiest arteries, forcing drivers to wait for hours in long queues.

The WWB employees protested the closure of four board schools and alleged that the closure of 18 technical institutes managed by the board across the province was also on the cards threatening the jobs of around 300 people.

They said they would continue with the protest until their demands, especially job security, were met.

The Malakand residents protested the arrest of citizen journalist Mohammad Zada, while the people of Lakki Marwat staged protest against the deputy commissioner of their district. The Lakki protesters alleged that the DC had ordered the torture of the Marwat youths.

The traffic police said on their Twitter handle that the flow of heavy traffic on Northern Bypass and Chamkani Mor-Suray Pul Road began at around 1pm and within an hour or so, the thoroughfare was blocked due to the protests.

The protests also caused the blocking of the Amn Chowk-Suray Pul section of Khyber Road and slowing of traffic on other roads in the provincial capital.

The residents turned to social media to resent the prolonged road blockage.

“What on earth is happening in Peshawar because I have been asked to cancel around five Careem rides in half an hour since roads are either closed or there is a traffic jam,” wrote social media user Wajeeha on Twitter.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2021