Long march enters ghost town

Tight security arrangements on the eve of Tahirul Qadri’s long march had effectively turned the capital into a ghost town as the majority of citizens chose to remain indoors and very few people went to work. Authorities had shut down roads on Sunday and hundreds of containers had been placed on all main roads. The city appeared to have taken a day off and the busiest routes remained deserted.
Due to security measures and the unavailability of public transport on all main arteries leading to the federal capital, most people failed to reach their destinations. The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and Private School Association had announced a holiday to save children from a possible security problem. Frequent holidays in schools and colleges may prove harmful for students as their annual examinations are round the corner. Parents have appealed to politicians to avoid disrupting their routine for political point scoring. Following directions of the Interior Minister, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) shut all mobile phone networks around mid-day, disconnecting all contact among people. The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and the Federal Government Polyclinic had made preparations for dealing with possible emergencies on the arrival of Tehrik Minhaj-ul-Quran (TMQ) activists. PIMS had reserved 100 beds and Polyclinic had 50 beds for emergency situations. Dr Waseem Khawaja from PIMS and Dr Shareef Astori from the Polyclinic said that 275 to 70 surgeries were performed in these hospitals daily. They had activated disaster management cells for the long march by stocking up on medicines, equipment and stretchers. Road blockades had caused problems for patients travelling to these hospitals from distant locations. “My father is a patient of Hepatitis C, he had become unconscious and we managed to bring him to the hospital after changing several routes as all the main roads were closed,” said Ahmad.
Additional police forces from KP and Azad Kashmir had also reached Islamabad to bolster security in the capital. These forces had been guarding various entry and exit points on the Kashmir Highway and the Red Zone. Authorities had also blocked the double road on the Faizabad interchange, linking the twin cities. Barbed wire had been placed on all roads leading to the Parliament House and the Red Zone. Closure of all key roads had led to traffic diversion and jams. Commuters had a tough time commuting as all roads had been closed. Markets, commercial establishments and offices had partially shut down for the day. A district administration official said that long march participants would be provided with security. Police personnel kept a tight vigil on the AK Fazlul Haq Road and Luqman Hakeem Road, where protesters were likely to enter the D-Chowk and Red Zone. CCTV cameras had been installed from Faizabad to the Red Zone as a security measure. The official said law breakers would be severely dealt with. All long march participants would be required to park their vehicles in the F-9 Park. A stage had been erected in front of the Pak-Saudi tower, where Qadri was scheduled to address participants.
Sensitive areas including the Parliament House, Diplomatic Enclave, and other locations had been cordoned off by freight containers. Traders Associations said that if the march culminated in a violent protest, they would lodge an FIR against TMQ. An emotional TMQ activist, Tahir Ahmed Azam, from Attock told Pakistan today that he was part of the march to bring change. He said the nation is sick and tired of promises made by corrupt politicians and it is time for a revolution. Razia Farooqi, a student from the International Islamic University, said that she was with her family at the march to bring change in the country. She said the youth should come forward to support Qadri in his agenda for a healthy Pakistan.