WEB DESK
After uproar from citizens and commuters who had to face immense difficulties due to the blockade of the Murree Road in Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday finally called off its protests in the city. Due to the blockages at key intersections, traffic in the city had all but come to a standstill with massive gridlocks.
The protests started on Monday with the aim of laying a siege to Islamabad. PTI protesters from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) blocked key intersections and highways leading to Islamabad as they protested the assassination attempt on former premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan during the long march in Wazirabad on November 3.
The party had planned to stage its protest for 72 hours until the long march resumes in Wazirabad. While many smaller protests ended on Wednesday, a major blockade of Murree Road in Rawalpindi continued. As a result, residents of Rawalpindi had to face immense discomfort and inconvenience for four days.
After facing public anger and outbursts, the PTI leadership finally gave in on Thursday and called off their protest in Rawalpindi. Following the directives of the party leadership, the blockades from Murree Road, Pirwadhai Mor, Sawaan Camp, and other areas have been removed. The traffic police of the city have cleared the roads for traffic.
PTI leader Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, who was leading the protests in Rawalpindi, said the decision to end the protest has come through from the party’s central leadership.
“We had announced that we will continue our protests until we receive new directives from the party’s senior leadership. The party has today announced a new policy that obligates us to end the protests and remove the blockade on Murree Road,” he said.
It is pertinent to mention here that just today (Thursday), the PTI resumed its long march in Wazirabad, from the same spot where party chief Imran Khan had been attacked.
