*Attendances in offices remained thin, many private schools forced to close as PTI workers block roads, refuse to let people pass
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s shutdown on Monday disrupted the life of ordinary citizens as the party burnt tyres and staged sit-ins at over 45 points of the city blocking all the major arteries.
Students, teachers, office-goers and patients remained the worst-hit of the lockdown.
The educated class, which PTI claims to mostly represent, were the ones who suffered the most as result of the standoff between the government and PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
The Punjab government, on its part, ensured strict compliance of attendance at its various offices despite the shutdown call. The government tasked senior officials in the S&GAD to monitor and ensure attendance at the Civil Secretariat and all other formations. Special messages were circulated a day before to all employees through the department heads ensuring presence in the office an hour earlier than the regular office timings.
“We (government employees) are the worst-hit people in any political crisis. The government penalises us for siding with a political party, without realising the tension on the roads. I had to reach Gulberg from Thokar Niaz Baig and it was nothing less than an adventure. Many colleagues could not make it and the attendance was thin,” Iqbal Randhawa, an employee of the Education Department said.
Even those working in the private sector had to face the same ordeal.
“I started early, and despite making it almost to my office from different routes, I was not allowed to cross by the protesters. Only because I was a female, they did not misbehave and let me return,” Iqra Sajjad, a banker, said.
Students and parents were also badly affected by the blockages. The government cancelled examinations in schools and colleges considering the situation in the city.
“First it was fog in the morning when we left our homes to drop our kids; if the protest is inevitable, the government should announce a public holiday to make it easy for children and their parents. Who will take the risk of going out with kids to school when the situation is so uncertain?” Kihaan Ikram, mother of two said.
The PTI workers and supporters blocked all main arteries of the city along with the entrance points. The Ferozepur Road, which connects Lahore to Kasur, Okara and Depalpur was blocked at Kahna after the PTI workers realised that blocking Chungi Amarsidhu would still let people enter through other points.
The government also claimed that there were patients who died in the ambulances in various instances because the crowd did not let them pass.
However, Lahore being the hub of all big hospitals attracts thousands of patients everyday from the far-flung areas. They were the real victims of the shutdown.
“Not everyone is so fatally injured to come to a hospital in an ambulance. Many people have severe condition but they are coming in private vehicles. The political parties should also announce that the rights of patients have also been suspended like many others’ rights,” Jalaal Ali said.
Advocate Babar Hayat Samoor, who practices at the Lahore High Court, however said the government employees have taken an oath to the constitution and their jobs, which is their prime responsibility. “The constitution gives them the right to vote, but they cannot take part in political canvassing,” he said.
