Twin cities face partial shut down, Metro Bus service suspended in Rawalpindi
The Punjab government has formed a committee comprising two senior members of the provincial cabinet to negotiate with the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) ahead of the latter’s expected long march to the capital.
The committee comprises provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat and Prosecution Minister Chaudhry Zaheeruddin, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar said in a Tweet.
Twin cities partially shut down, Metro bus service suspended
Twin cities are facing a partial shut down after the banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) announced the long March on Islamabad after Friday prayers.
Citing the long march of banned Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), authorities have decided to suspend Metro bus service in Rawalpindi while some definite roads of the twin cities have been blocked using containers.
TLP leader Pir Ajmal Qadri announced the onset of procession to Islamabad yesterday on Thursday in which he told that the “peaceful” march would start after Friday prayer.
He further warned the government saying, “If any hurdles are created, the party also has a Plan B to thwart any official attempts.”
Blocked Roads of the Capital and Rawalpindi:
Guidelines regarding diversions and blockages in the twin cities as told by the ITP include:
- Diversion has been given from Stadium Road Rawalpindi to Ninth Avenue signal
- Traffic coming from Ninth Avenue and Faizabad to Rawalpindi will be diverted to IJP Road.
- Faizul Islam stop and Murree Road are closed from both sides
- The Jinnah Avenue road from Express Chowk to D-Chowk has been sealed
- Traffic from Islamabad to the Murree Road should take the Islamabad Highway.
- Citizens should use NADRA Chowk and Ayub Chowk to enter and exit the city’s Red Zone area.
- People are also advised to use Park Road, Tiramri Road and Lehtrar Road in the city to reach Islamabad Highway.
- Citizen can also use the Srinagar Highway, 9th Avenue and IJP Road to travel to Rawalpindi.
About the Metro Bus Service, the city administration has notified that the service will remain suspended from Saddar to Faizabad, while it will operate only from the IJP Road Stop to the Pakistan Secretariat.
TLP’s Lahore sit-in
The banned organization has been staging a sit-in on Multan Road, Lahore for the last two days. They are demanding the release of the founder’s heir, Saad Rizvi who was arrested earlier this year for provoking violence. Their officials have also notified that if their demands don’t get fulfilled, they will make an announcement of a plan of action
Announcing the long march on Islamabad on Thursday, TLP leader Pir Ajmal Qadri had said it would be a “peaceful” procession. “If any hurdles are created, the party also has a Plan B to thwart any official attempts,” he had told a charged crowd at a protest site in Lahore.
Qadri asked the government to implement the agreement it had reached with the TLP last November to sever diplomatic and economic ties with France. “The government better implement the agreement in true spirit or get ready to face the consequences,” Qadri had warned.