ISLAMABAD: Two days before the PTI protest, the police on the direction of the capital administration on Friday ordered the closure of bus terminals and hostels of private and public sector educational institutions in Islamabad from Saturday.

However, guesthouses in different parts of the city were closed on Friday.

In another development, the government decided to suspend the metro bus service in the limits of the federal capital on Saturday. However, the service will continue operating in Rawalpindi. On Nov 24, the metro service will remain suspended in both the cities.

Officers of the capital administration and police told Dawn that under verbal directives of the authorities, all bus terminals, guesthouses and hostels were being closed from Saturday.

All hostels inside and outside universities are being closed. In this regard, police contingents under supervision of magistrates and assistant commissioners reached male hostels early on Friday and asked the inmates to vacate them immediately. Officials’ team also reached female hostels and asked them to leave the vicinity before noon under the orders of the district magistrate.

Metro service to remain suspended in capital today; police direct closure of catering services with a warning against serving PTI leaders and workers

All the students were asked to leave for their native towns and remain there till November 27.

Moreover, all bus terminals at Karachi Company, Faizabad, Chungi No 26 were also being shut down under the directives of the secretary Islamabad Transport Authority.

An order in this regard was issued by the secretary ITA that stated that “keeping in view the tense situation in Islamabad, it is ordered that all the transport terminals within the limits of Islamabad will be closed today (November 22) at 8pm. The terminals will also be covered by installing tents.”

Besides, under the directives of the assistant inspector general of police (operations) Islamabad, entry of public service vehicles in motorways was closed. Under the order, the area police reached the bus terminals located in their limits and informed the operators to complete their operations before 2pm on Friday to avoid any inconvenience as after the given time entry of buses in motorways will be closed.

In a similar move, the police under the directive of the capital administration shut down guesthouses. The police were also checking records of the guest houses and hotels and verifying the status of people residing or booking rooms there.

President Islamabad Guest House Association Haroon Abbasi told Dawn that police teams raided gust houses and hotels in the capital and forcefully got them vacated without producing any written orders. The police are threatening the owners and managements of the guest houses and hotels and saying that they were acting under the orders of high-ups, he added.

Many foreigners were residing in guest houses and hotels, majority of them for the last two to three months, he said, adding that the police forcefully got vacated the guest houses and hotels, forcing the gusts/customers to sit on footpaths along with their belongings.

Mr Abbasi said that the association will protest against the forceful closure of guest houses and hotels on Saturday (today).

Moreover, catering services were also closed with a warning against offering services from Saturday to PTI leaders and workers.

The police also mounted surveillance in all slums besides conducting search operations there. About 100 suspects were taken into custody form Tarnol, 38 from Sumbal and 40 from Sangjani and shifted to different police stations.

Published in Dawn, November 23rd, 2024