Mobile services in Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been resumed which faced suspension of over 50 hours. The suspended services began on October 4, as the protest by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) started at D-Chowk. The major routes connecting the two cities are still blocked for the third consecutive day while life has come to a standstill with routine business operations greatly affected.
Internet and cellular services were shut down in most metropolitan cities of the country, including the Twin Cities and Karachi. Social media not available, Karachi residents said that they could not access their social media accounts causing the situation to worsen during the upheavals created due to the political unrest.
Communication services are back up and on the air, and citizens have welcomed this with open arms as the blockade shows little signs of abating, wreaking havoc currently mainly through major roads in several places around the city. To date, seemingly the worst affected installations are Rawalpindi’s Murree Road and the Faizabad Interchange, both vital radial roads for transportation and commerce. Metro Bus operations are suspended, and commuters must rely on alternative, often costlier forms of transport.
City in Lockdown
For the third day running, road closure has brought twin cities to a standstill. Containers have been placed on vital routes to blockade access to key business centers and essential service points. The country has faced a critical shortage of these essentials -fruit and vegetables, milk, and poultry. Residents of the twin cities have had no option but to scramble for supplies as deliveries to local markets have come to a grinding halt.
Murree Road, which connects Rawalpindi to Islamabad, has been particularly affected. To add insult to injury, road blockages along with no public transport have crippled the ability of most residents to commute to work or even avail services that are being denied. Those businesses that receive the majority of their clients through footfalls and daily commuters have been badly hit and many of them reported significant losses as well.
Protests continue unabated and the situation remains volatile. Except for the Punjab police, other security personnel have been deployed at the major intersections close to the Faizabad Interchange and Liaquat Bagh. However, the situation remaining the same for several days has tested the patience of most residents and they have now begun to demand that the stalemate be brought to an end immediately.
Read About Facebook’s new content Monetization
To Read More: Technology