Lahore has once again been turned into a city of containers, with people facing extreme difficulties in moving around to their workplaces and other important travels. Students, to appear for Institute of Chartered Accountant exams, faced extreme difficulties.
Prior to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) gathering at the Minar-i-Pakistan today, when party chairman Imran Khan plans to present his “vision of Haqeeqi Azadi,” shipping containers have been put at a number of places across Lahore.
Containers were positioned along access and departure ways into the city, including those from Shahdara to Ravi Bridge, in what looked to be an effort to obstruct roads leading to the PTI power show location.
The roads connecting the route to Minar-e-Pakistan including Railway Station, Garhi Shahu, GT Road near north Lahore have all been blocked.
Additionally, both sides of the road leading from Data Darbar to Minar-i-Pakistan have been blocked off.
However, in a media statement, the interim provincial information minister Amir Mir has denied the closure of roads saying that no such move was taken by the government.
One of the truck drivers who was on the scene told media that he had not received payment for deploying his vehicle to block the roadways. He said that he had received instructions from Shafiqabad police station staff, who had informed him that it was “the government’s [order]” and that the same police had the keys to the vehicles.
The driver continued by saying that he had been instructed to have the trucks block the roads till tomorrow at 12 o’clock.
Additionally, there were reports that owing to road blockades, students who were meant to show up for the Institute of Chartered Accountant (ICA) examinations were unable to do so.
Student Hayyan Imran claimed he spent hours waiting for a bus that never arrived at the exam site in time, which caused him to be late for his exam. “At this point, the examiners won’t allow me enter. They claim that because of my tardiness, the attendance has already been taken, he moaned.
The former premier Imran Khan has urged his followers to show up to the event in order to “assert their right as people of a free nation.” The PTI would organize its sixth public event at Minar-i-Pakistan, which he said would “shatter all records,” he said.
He urged his followers, saying, “Everyone must assert their right as citizens of a free nation that won its independence and come to Minar-i-Pakistan.”
