LAHORE: With Eidul Fitr holidays ending on Monday and a majority of those who had gone to their hometowns to celebrate Eid with their loved ones coming back, life in the provincial capital returned to normal on Tuesday.
Inter-city bus terminals, including Badami Bagh’s General Bus Stand, Band Road’s City Bus Stand and bus terminals located on Thokar Niaz Baig were seen crammed with passengers rushing back to work. Due to a large number of people returning to the provincial capital, entry points of the city also observed horrible traffic deadlocks.
Several commuters were found complaining of overcharged rates set by transporters while Lahore’s railway station also witnessed a mass movement where people were observed returning till late Monday-Tuesday night.
On Eid days, unlike previous years, a large number of employees were present on duty at public offices. However, the employees were found doing nothing in most of the offices.
An official of the agriculture department told Pakistan Today that most of the staff members had preferred to be at work on Eid days due to the workload even though the heads of the department had issued orders to resume working after holidays.
Markets and shopping plazas including Anarkali, Shah Aalam Market, Rang Mehal, Azam Market, Urdu Bazaar, Panorama Centre, The Mall, Liberty Market, Firdous Market, Barkat Market, Ichrah Bazaar, Pakistan Bazaar, which had been deserted during the holidays, sprang to life once again.
While not much official businesses continued during the Eid holidays, offices of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and returning officers remained the focus of activities that resumed on Monday owing to the forthcoming general elections.
On Tuesday, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) candidate from NA 125, Yasmin Rashid, kicked off her election campaign in the area. Routine activities of courts including Lahore High Court (LHC) and Judicial Courts also resumed where judges heard several important cases.