The provincial capital saw the worst traffic jams amid Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s movements across the city on Saturday.
Severe traffic congestion was observed near Shimla Pahari and Anarkali areas as hundreds of motorists remained stuck on different roads for more than three hours.
The prime minister was in the city to participate in a seminar arranged in Jamia Naeemia in Garhi Shahu and the inaugural ceremony of Punjab police’s digital system.
No alternative traffic roadmap was put in place and Shimla Pahari and its adjoining roads were blocked for more than two hours ahead of the prime minister’s visit.
During his visit to Jamian Naeemia, all adjacent roads to Garhi Shahu were cordoned off by law enforcers for security reasons, which shifted the traffic entirely to Shimla Pahari Chowk. Long queues of vehicles could be seen on Davis Road, Empress Road, Edgerton Road, and Queen Mary College Road.
Several motorists tried to use alternate roads and residential streets but they were trapped in bumper-to-bumper traffic as these too were already packed with hundreds of vehicles.
Even after the VIP movement, it took hours to straighten out the traffic snarls and commuters remained trapped, criticizing the country’s VIP culture.
Renowned journalists Mujeeb ur Rehman Shami and Hamid Mir also became victims of yesterday’s traffic mess. They were both invited to a ceremony held in Aiwan e Iqbal held in connection with the death anniversary of veteran journalist Hameed Nizami but could not reach in time. Earlier, both journalists also attended the in Jamia Naeemia but they were not allowed to leave the venue soon after Nawaz Sharif left.
Meanwhile, traffic wardens seemed helpless and couldn’t do anything to control the situation.