Party workers from all parts of country listened to their leadership
Zubair Qureshi
The district administration and police in Rawalpindi took foolproof security measures and chalked out a traffic plan place for the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) rally to mark former prime minister and assassinated leader of the PPP, Benazir Bhutto’s 12th death anniversary at Liaquat Bagh on Friday.
According to the traffic plan chalked out, almost one-kilometer area around Liaquat Bagh, starting from Marrir Chowk, Committee Chowk and Fawwara Chowk, was guarded by law enforcement and plainclothes security officials.
Besides, walk through security gates and sniffer dogs, snipers were deployed on the roofs of the buildings adjacent to the Liaquat Bagh venue to ensure no security breach could take place.
Besides these sharpshooters’ deployment roads leading to Murree Road were also blocked with razor wire and everybody walking towards Liaquat Bagh was subjected to a body search.The Special Branch had suggested to the district police to fence boundary walls of the venue with razor wire or barbed wire to prevent people from jumping over it.Besides, jammers and walk-through gates were put in place at the venue of the rally and hundreds of police, elite force commandos, policewomen and Special Branch officials will provide security to the participants.In order to attend the party meeting and listen to their leadership, PPP workers and supporters from all over Pakistan had arrived in Rawalpindi and huge portraits, banners and party flags have coloured the roads in the twin cities.
These participants hail from all parts of the country including interior Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan and AJK have already arrived. The party has made arrangements for their stay in local hotels.
Meanwhile, the City Traffic Police had also chalked out an alternative traffic plan and deployed around 200 personnel and officers to maintain traffic.
Pindi traffic according to the plan was diverted to alternative routes. The road users were requested to contact the police Helpline on 0519272616 for information regarding traffic plan and guidance.Liaquat Road from Liaquat Bagh Chowk to DAV College Chowk remained closed. Similarly, Murree Road was also closed from Marrir Chowk to Committee Chowk.
Traffic was be diverted from Marrir Chowk to Katcheri Chowk while vehicles coming from Fawwara Chowk to Liaquat Bagh were diverted from DAV College Chowk towards Saddar.Realto underpass was also closed and no vehicle was allowed to pass through it towards Liaquat Bagh.
Similarly, traffic passing from Imambargah Chowk to Akber International Hotel roundabout was diverted to New Mohalla Chowk and Committee Chowk.
The traffic going towards Saddar on Murree Road was diverted to Rawal Road at Chandni Chowk and from Committee Chowk to Islamic Honey Centre.
