KOHAT, Jan 2: A large number of civilians residing in the Cantonment area staged a protest rally against the closure of all exit points except one by military authorities on Wednesday, police.

They blocked a portion of the road near the residence of the Base Commander for two hours and demanded opening of all routes which had been closed over the last five years.

The military had already closed the main Cantonment Road which connects the eastern part of the city with the west affecting a population of about 50,000 people. The road famous as Thandi Sadak has remained closed for civilians for the last many years. Earlier, people had used the road for morning and evening walks and jogging.

The protesters said that their children faced immense problems because private vehicles could not enter the Cantonment area and therefore students, especially girls, had to travel on foot to get to colleges.

They also demanded removal of unnecessary checkposts established in every nook and corner of the Cantonment and checking by the military police of Cantonment residents and vehicles.

The military authorities tightened security by closing down the maximum number of roads following suicide attacks and other terrorist activities in the Cantonment for security reasons, causing many hardships for thousands of civilians living there.

The military had also imposed an annual tax on vehicles which pass through the Cantonment while moving from east to west and vice versa. Even school transport is not exempted from the tax.