No letup in PTI’s roads blockade in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI     -       Leaders and supporters of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) continued protest demonstrations in the city and blocked main traffic arteries especially Murree Road, Old Airport Road, IJP Road, Peshawar Road, Rawat and Islamabad Motorway causing massive traffic jams in the twin cities on the second consecutive day on Tuesday. On the call of party leadership, the protest demonstrations were also held in other cities of Punjab disrupting routine life of general masses. In Rawalpindi, PTI leaders including Fayyaz Ul Hassan Chohan, Sheikh Rashid Shafique and Raja Rashid Hafeez, along with supporters staged a protest demonstration at Shamasabad by blocking Murree Road. The protestors chanted slogans against PM Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sana Ullah and other PDM leaders and in favour of Imran Khan. The public has rejected the call of a long march announced by PTI Chief Imran Khan as only 20 to 30 persons are involved in blocking roads in twin cities that too with backing of Punjab police. They urged Imran Khan not to create chaos and anarchy in the country for just lust for power. The business community also expressed their deep resentments over the ongoing law and order situation in the twin cities and asked the police bosses and other law enforcement agencies to take action against the protestors. Scores of women, some of them were old aged, turned up before the PTI leaders leading the protest camp and cursed them for creating problems for public. “This country and roads are not belong to any specific leader or party and we, the citizens, have equal rights,” said a woman adding that the roads should not be blocked as the public suffer a lot. Another woman also blasted PTI MPA Fayyaz Ul Hassan Chohan saying “Which type of Riasat-e-Madina and New Pakistan you and your leader Imran Khan want to make? You all have paralyzed our lives for the last many days,” she said. She asked the leaders to clear the roads immediately in the best interest of the public. Other PTI leaders including former federal minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Wasiq Qayyum Abbasi, MPA Umer Tanvir Butt, who were blocking Motorway, also earned public wrath. “Public are facing huge troubles due to road closures and you, the PTI leaders along with their supporters, are playing cricket and dancing,” said a passenger, who got stuck in a traffic jam due to road closure. Many other passengers said that people are finding it very hard to go to work or their destinations due to hooliganism of PTI leadership. They said that families have been stuck in traffic for hours while the protesters have not let ambulances pass in many areas. They urged the government to initiate legal action against PTI chief Imran Khan, his MPs and supporters involved in making lives of the public a hell by blocking roads. The public on Wednesday blasted the leaders and supporters of PTI on almost all the points in the twin cities they have blocked to register protest against assassination attempt on Imran Khan, the former premier of Pakistan.

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