Islamabad woke up to a tense and quiet morning on Sunday after an entire night of tense clashes between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf supporters and law enforcement agencies.
Life in the twin cities is largely suspended since PTI began its protest on October 4.
The Metro Bus service, that operates between the two cities, is suspended. However, mobile signals were slowly restored in the capital by noon.
Most businesses in Rawalpindi and Islamabad are closed, severely disrupting daily life. The Murree Road has been closed to all traffic for three days. Containers are placed on streets and roads leading to Murree Road in Rawalpindi, causing significant hardship for citizens. Obstacles are present at various points along the route from Liaquat Bagh in Rawalpindi to Faizabad. Punjab Police are deployed at various locations, and security is on high alert.
The road closures have made it difficult for patients to reach hospitals, while the suspension of mobile internet has severely impacted online businesses. The Metro Bus service is also suspended for the third day.
Authorities have stated that mobile phone service will be officially restored shortly.
Within Islamabad’s limits, the Expressway and Kashmir Highway are open to traffic. Murree Road and Airport Road are also open, however, all routes to and from the Red Zone remain closed. The M1 motorway to Lahore is open, with previously dug trenches filled. The M2 motorway to Peshawar has also been reopened.
While Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who led the PTI’s protest from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is nowhere to be found, the protest has still not been officially called off.
Meanwhile, containers have been removed from various points in Rawalpindi.
Containers have been cleared from Murree Chowk, Committee Chowk, and Waris Khan, as well as from Rawalpindi Double Road.
However, the containers have been placed to the side, and the routes leading to Islamabad remain closed.
The M1 motorway in Peshawar has been reopened to traffic.
Sources report that all obstructions have been cleared and potholes repaired, allowing for the resumption of all traffic movement on the motorway.
KP CM Gandapur has been incommunicado since Saturday evening, when he entered the KP House in Islamabad.
His arrest was originally reported by ‘security sources’ on Saturday but the federal government quickly moved to issue a denial.
However, Gandapur’s spokesperson Faraz Mughal said that no contact could be made with the CM.
The spokesperson also claimed that the protest had been called off just before Gandapur went missing.
