GUJRAT: The local authorities on Wednesday dug up trenches on both sides of the main GT road near the Jhelum bridge in Sara-i-Alamgir in a bid to block the participants of a long march by Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) from Lahore to Islamabad.

The traffic between Lahore and Islamabad along the GT road have gone out of gear after heavy containers are parked on the bridges of Jhelum river as well as the bridges over Upper Jhelum canal right at the entrance to Sara-i-Alamgir from Lahore side.

The digging for trenches with the heavy machinery have also damaged the telephone and internet services in the city and adjoining areas as nearly 2,800 landlines have been disconnected, said an official of the local administration.

The TLP long march being led by its chief Saad Rizvi had left Lahore around three days ago and reached Gujrat late on Tuesday night where the leadership held a public gathering at GTS Chowk.

The TLP has launched the long march on the federal capital in favour of its demands for reduction in the prices of petroleum products, electricity, gas and daily-use items.

The participants resumed their journey on Wednesday afternoon and reached Kharian city after being given a rousing reception in Lalamusa.

The participants will stay in Kharian for a night and may resume their journey on Thursday towards Sara-i-Alamgir and Jhelum.

However, the official sources said the government authorities had engaged the TLP leadership in talks to convince them to call off the march in the wake of current political and security situation.

The residents of Kharian and Sara-i-Alamgir [in particular] and the travellers between Lahore and Islamabad/Rawalpindi on GT road have demanded that the government resolve the issues for unblocking the national highway.

Earlier in November 2021, such trenches had been dug up on both sides of the bridges of Chenab and Jhelum rivers within the limits of Gujrat district as the participants in TLP march had stayed for many days in Wazirabad before the negotiations between the Tehreek-i-Labbaik and the then government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf succeeded.

Published in Dawn, June 15th, 2023