- Monday, November 25, 2024
With the blockade of main roads within Lahore and other parts of the province, people are struggling to procure fresh vegetables, fruits, and other perishable items
By: Shajil Kumar
PAKISTAN’S Punjab province of over 120 million people remained cut off from the rest of the country following the second consecutive day of a protest march of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with police arresting hundreds of its workers.
With the blockade of main roads within Lahore and other parts of the province, people are struggling to procure fresh vegetables, fruits, and other perishable items, including milk.
People are ruing shortages of fruits and vegetables caused by reduced supply from areas outside Lahore following road closures with containers.
Bus operations remained suspended for the second day from Lahore to other cities that affected millions of commuters.
It is feared that the situation might further worsen if the PTI protests continue for another few days.
Citizens are also questioning the logic to close intra and inter cities roads while the major protest is taking place in Islamabad.
The Punjab government said on Monday that roads would be opened following the end of PTI protests.
“We can’t leave the people of Punjab at the mercy of the PTI protesters, therefore, we have to take stringent steps to protect the life and property of the people,” Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said.
On the other hand, the PTI says more than 3,500 party leaders and workers have been arrested by police in Punjab and Islamabad.
The 72-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has been implicated in dozens of cases since his government was dismissed through a no-confidence motion in 2022.
He has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases. He got bail in some of them, was convicted in some others, and hearings are going on for some more.
PTI leaders meet Imran Khan
The PTI leaders on Monday met Imran Khan at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi as the party convoys continue their journey towards Islamabad.
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, accompanied by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Information Advisor Barrister Saif, and PTI leader Ali Mohammad Khan, met Khan in jail, the Express Tribune reported.
Sources said the purpose of the meeting was to brief Khan on the latest developments concerning the Islamabad protest and to take his guidance on the matter.
March facing obstacles
PTI resumed its march towards Islamabad on Monday after an overnight stop on the way amid stiff resistance by the authorities to foil the attempt to enter the capital and give a sit-in.
Imran Khan issued a “final call” on November 13 for nationwide protests on November 24, denouncing what he termed as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th amendment, which he said has strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
Led by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, the marchers began their journey from the province on Sunday with the mission to reach the capital but faced obstacles on the roads.
The authorities had blocked the highways by placing shipping containers but the protestors accompanied by lifting equipment and other heavy machines worked their way by removing hurdles, but it skittled their speed and plans.
After a stopover for the night at Haro in the Attock district of Punjab, the party resumed its journey with the mission to reach the capital by midday on Monday (25). (PTI)
