Sports is a healthy activity and public likes it but in big cities of Pakistan this recreation is punishment for the commoners because they are made hostage on the pretext of security. Every year whenever there is some sports event in the city, the city is closed for many days. No one can move freely , no one can reach office timely, shops are closed forcibly and the kids find themselves in a war like situation. Same is happening again in Twin cities of Rawalpindi Islamabad.
Pakistan Super League (PSL) cricket teams will arrive in Serena Hotel Islamabad tonight to play the scheduled matches at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The matches will start from 2 March and will conclude on 10th March 2024. During their stay, the security in Islamabad would be at high alert specially in the Red Zone and surrounding areas of the Serena Hotel, Faizabad to 6th Road, Double Road Rawalpindi. During their movement, the road blockage and diversion will be observed from time to time.
Following diversion plan will be observed:
1. Serena Lane parking will be completely blocked for all type of parking. Suitable access passage for Serena Business Complex tenants will be FATA lane.
(Serena is the only 5 star hotel in Pakistani capital city – There will be high alert for 10 days and that for few cricketers only – Here many embassies are working while a large number of other foreigners visit Serena. Certainly they will get message that the country is not safe for travel. If this hotel in the capital city can be reached by the “potential” terrorists then which part of this country is safe?)
2. All general traffic coming from Club Road will be diverted to Srinagar Highway from the Serena Chowk traffic signal.
(And you have already closed the way from NADRA chowk. It means traffic will have to travel long distance through Embassy road , Margallah Road for Red Zone – RED ZONE – Neither Embassy Road nor Margallah Road can bear such load of traffic – Time waste , Fuel Waste, Minds blown up… )
3. During the departure around 1700hrs and return around 2300hrs of cricket teams, Murree Road from Faizabad to Double Road will completely be closed.
(Two times daily complete curfew like situation – 1700 hours is critical time when offices are closed and hundreds of thousands of vehicles are traveling from Islamabad to Rawalpindi and suburb – Officials know very well it can not be managed and everything will be choked but who cares )
4.Traffic coming from Islamabad will be diverted from Faizabad to Expressway.
(If Murree Road is not allowed and traffic have to take streets from Expressway into Rawalpindi , the citizens of adjacent areas can imagine what will be situation in their streets. It will be a havoc – It is not about one two three main roads only – It is about all streets linked to expressway from Faizabad to Khanna Bridge and onward)
5.Traffic from Rawalpindi to Islamabad will be diverted from 6th Road Chowk to Saidpur Road.
(IMPOSSIBLE – 6th Road is a small two lane road only. Saidpur road is smaller than 6th road. There will be emergency like situation for both the travelers as well as for the residents)
6.Traffic coming from 9th avenue, Islamabad will be diverted to IJP Road.
7.During the match, Stadium Road will completely be closed on both sides from 9th avenue Chowk towards Double Road.
(There are thousands of shops, many hotels, 2 hospitals, many medical stores, auto mechanics, spare parts, gas stations, schools. All will be closed for two weeks with no compensation whatsoever )
Recommendation:
Staff advised to be vigilant and plan their travel accordingly. Keep your identification documents along with you all the time and cooperate with Security officials. Stay tuned to ITP FM 92.4 Radio Station for live traffic updates. We are monitoring the situation, and any update will be communicated accordingly.
This is so called security plan of high officials where citizens and travelers are being dealt as if they are the terrorists. These officials do not bother ;
1- How a patient will reach hospital timely? They will be responsible if the patients dies at the road?
2- These highly payed and extra ordinarily privileged officials have no heart to feel the pain of the laborers who lose their livelihood when the roads are closed and no work they can find?
3- These officials can see their own children hungry because there is nothing at home to eat?
4- These intelligent most minds of our administration have only one way to avoid terrorist attacks that is ” Close the Roads” – What different they are doing than the agitators who block the roads and squares only to pressurize the government.
5- These officials feel the responsibility of financial damages the shop keepers and hotel owners bear for their so called security measures?
Surely, the officials have minds only but no hearts. They are the product of the same factory where the masters only , the dictators only are manufactured whose first lesson is ” keep the masses in your strict control”. Avoid shaking hands with Public. No eye contact even is suitable for you.
The Britain needed it for their rule in Sub Continent and the same is continuing in India and Pakistan. Freedom is in the books only. This is what the officials express again and again through their behaviors and actions.
Common people are still slaves. Pre Partition the people were slaves of White. Post Partition they are slaves of Brown. They see toward British rules regulations always to control the public in Pakistan. But they do not see the Britain terminated all commissioners and deputy commissioners soon after the partition only because ” They were manufactured to govern a country that was slave – not for a country that is free.”
The public questions ” you have nothing else than to close roads, shops, hotels, businesses of the people for your security? Why don’t you forget that you are from the same society? Why you become Lot Sab after joining the civil service? Why you call it Service of the Civil? Is not it Big Hypocrisy? You are not Servant to the Civil. You are Masters to the Civil. Why you don’t leave the public alone and get lost like the British officers?
Tazeen Akhtar
