RAWALPINDI: Commuters and pedestrians experienced significant delays in moving in the downtown areas of the city due to heavy traffic congestion at Raja Bazaar, Murree Road and surrounding streets on Sunday.

The unusual traffic rush forced the traffic police to deploy extra personnel in the area.

A spokesman for the traffic police said Chief Traffic Officer Farhan Aslam and all incharges including Senior Traffic Officer Muneer Ahmed Hashmi were present in the field and remained busy in keeping the traffic flowing.

Due to the opening of markets after a two-day holiday, there was an unusual traffic pressure in the area.

Traffic volume in Raja Bazaar unusually remains high due to customers coming from other cities, said the spokesman

Traffic police circle officers and lifters patrolled the area to eliminate no-parking, the spokesman said and added that improper/wrong parking by citizens added to the issue.

He said the CTO has requested citizens to park their vehicles in appropriate places while shopping and follow traffic rules. He said the citizens should also exercise patience while driving.

On the other hand, many commuters had to face immense problems due to the snail pace of traffic.

“Bad roads, and not following traffic rules add to the problem for road users,” said a commuter.

Even motorcyclists remain stuck in traffic mess at Liaquat Bagh and Raja Bazaar.

“It took me more than double the time to reach Raja Bazaar today,” a motorcyclist, Abu Bakar, said.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2025