ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his government seem to be in hot waters over Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s proposed Islamabad lockdown on November 2.
The federal and Punjab governments would lockdown the federal capital Islamabad and its twin city Rawalpindi by themselves with faulty steps. The current situation is indicating that the PML-N government is frustrated and would block the city to prevent entry of PTI workers into Islamabad.
Government wants to fail Imran Khan’s lockdown plan at any cost therefore thousands of policemen and paramilitary personnel are roaming on roads of federal capital while Punjab government has ordered Regional Traffic officer of Rawalpindi to detain containers to block the roads leading to Islamabad.
Truck owners and drivers – while talking to ‘Online’ – said that their vehicles and containers have been detained by Punjab police by grabbing their documents and parked their vehicles near Rawat to block the roads, when needed. Drivers told Online that they neither been compensated nor given surety of protection of the goods in containers and trucks.
One driver said that his truck was loaded with vegetables and fruits worth of hundreds of thousands of rupees which have been spoiled. The government has imposed Section 144 in Islamabad for two months. The government barred all hotels, marquees, wedding halls and guest houses to rent out their premises to PTI leaders and workers while food restaurants and food chains also have been advised to deny food to PTI sit-in participants.
Similarly transporters have also been given same direction to deny logistic facility to participants of PTI sit-in. The PTI announced November 2 as the date for their planned sit-in in the federal capital. The party has also prepared a strategy to tackle the sit-in and any possible crackdown against the party.
The party workers have been asked to gather at Faizabad, from where they will march towards Zero Point under Imran’s leadership. The apex court also ordered the government not to block roads in Islamabad and democracy and the constitution give right of protests to every citizen but it seems that instead of PTI, government would shut-down Islamabad by its defective measures.