Where is everyone?

Empty roads and shops on Sunday made the absence of over 3 million people who have left the city for their native hometowns strongly felt. Rush on the city’s exit points on Saturday proved it to be the climax of mass exodus that takes place in Lahore right before Eid. Long queues of vehicles were seen on GT Road, Multan Road, Ferozepur Road as people took leave of Lahore to spend the extended weekend of Eid and Iqbal Day holidays in their native towns. The city roads and bazaars were empty, so were the cattle markets, so much so that the youngsters were seen playing cricket on the city’s main roads which are usually the hub of activity on normal days.
Overcharging by the transporters, who see this exodus as a grand opportunity to make profit, also remained a main feature. The fare for Islamabad was doubled just two days before Eid. Many passengers were seen complaining of this sudden price hike right before Eid, whilst the transporters maintained that the increase was due to the general level of inflation. Interestingly, not even a single official from the Transport Department Squad was present to check the overcharging by the transporters.