Capital residents suffer road blockages owing to PTI and PAT marchers while several light-hearted gentlemen enjoyed a day off, reclining at their nearest coffee shop
Life in Islamabad has come to a standstill due to the arrival of marching armies of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Dr Tahirul Qadri’s Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT).
Main markets of the capital remained closed Saturday while the residents of Islamabad spent the whole day in an atmosphere of fear and speculation. Although most of the residents remained indoors in most sectors of Islamabad, life on the roads of F sectors remained normal.
Coffee shops and restaurants were seen full of food lovers who were enjoying a day off due to the two sit-ins being staged in the city, Pakistan Today observed.
Ibrahim Ramay, a resident of F-8 Sector, while enjoying a cup of coffee with his friends in a coffee shop at Jinnah Super Market told Pakistan Today that the arrival of PTI and PAT rallies in Islamabad had enabled them to enjoy a day off as his office was situated at Red Zone.
“I don’t care what will come out of these sit-ins. I will keep on doing my current job and I will not be offered a better job by the new government if the protest succeeds in ousting this government,” he said in a light vein.
The manager of the café told Pakistan Today that he had seen more customers Saturday than he usually receives in day timings on weekends. “I think people are not concerned with what is going on at Aabpara. I welcome anything which brings me better business, so in a way I am thankful to Imran Khan and Qadri for giving me this favour,” he said.
Moreover, when PTI was staging a sit-in at Aabpara, a number of cricket lovers were seen playing cricket in different playgrounds of the capital.
When Pakistan Today asked one of the cricketers playing in a ground in G-7, only half a mile away from the venue of PTI’s sit-in, he said that all his teammates would visit the sit-in venue only when Imran Khan goes there. “We are not interested in politics but one of our friends, who is the son of a local PTI leader, has asked us to visit their sit in,” he said.
Furthermore, as all major exit routes were blocked with containers, many of the residents who were trying to go to Murree Hills to spend their weekend could not succeed.
Shahida Khattak, who was visiting JapanesePark with her children, told Pakistan Today that she wanted to go to Murree but road blockages thwarted her plan.
“We had planned to visit Murree on this weekend beforehand and we also got rooms booked there but to the disappointment of my children, we have to make peace with only a visit to the JapanesePark.”
The ordeal of commuters travelling out of the city continued and major bus stops of the city were found deserted and devoid of any buses as most of the vehicles were either hired by the marchers or detained by police.
A booking manager at Niazi Bus Stand told Pakistan Today that they suffered huge business losses for the last one week or so due to the current political situation of the city and country. He said that he had to bear the brunt of both police and political parties as both wanted to use their buses for different purposes. He said that the government should pass a law barring government from acquiring buses during such political turmoil.