RAWALPINDI: With commercial and social life coming to a standstill in the garrison city in the wake of the ongoing political unrest, Mohammad Naseer, a daily wage labourer, prepares to return home empty-handed for the second consecutive day.

He had arrived at Raja Bazaar with his tools of substance to find work for the day, only to see potential employers vanish.

For a daily wager like Mohammad, a single lost day of work can mean going hungry.

The 32-year-old labourer says he works as a construction worker and usually arrives at Raja Bazaar early in the morning in hopes of being hired for the day but for the last two days, he could not find any work due to the political turmoil that has engulfed the twin cities in the wake of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest call.

For labourers like Mohammad, a single lost day of work can mean going hungry

“I borrowed money from a relative to put the meal on the table for my five-member family the other day, hoping that tomorrow, the situation would improve.”

But road closures have poured cold waters on his hopes, and those of thousands of others like him.

Another labourer, Mohammad Kamran, said that he earned Rs1,000 to Rs2,000 daily but the curfew-like situation has dampened his chances today.

“Despite the placement of freight shipping containers on Murree Road, I came in search of work, only to return empty-handed.”

For those living hand-to-mouth, situations like these become more than inconvenience.

The toll of the lockdown is not limited to daily wagers only, as vendors, especially small ones find it hard to survive amid low customer footfall.

“In the last two days, not a single customer has turned up here,” said Mohammad Azhar, a shopkeeper.

Zafar Ahmed, an owner of a clothing shop in Saddar, expressed similar concerns, complaining about the slow pace of business activities.

Although Saddar remained open, it too seemed devoid of customers as people continued to avoid travelling.

The Rawalpindi district administration has closed down the Soan Bridge, Marrir Chowk, Moti Mehal Cinema, Waris Khan, Gawalmandi, Pirwadhai and other areas.

While trucks are parked on Mall Road in front of PTCL offices, a single lane going towards the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology remains open to traffic.

Due to the closure of entry and exit points of Rawalpindi city and the Cantonment areas, oil tankers failed to supply fuel to filling stations, sparking fear of fuel shortages from Tuesday (today).

All Pakistan Oil Tankers Association spokesperson Noman Butt said keeping in view the situation in Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi, transport to these cities has been halted.

“This is significantly impacting the transit of tanker lorries carrying POL products, which could lead to disruptions in supply,” he said.

He said that the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) is actively engaging with the district administration but permission has not been granted to restore the supply of the fuel to filling stations.

He said most of the petrol filling stations have stock for only one or two days.

Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2024