Long march likely to remain peaceful after ‘deal’

ISLAMABAD: An agreement has been signed between Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran’s (TMQ) local leaders and the Islamabad deputy commissioner, as the long march is about to reach the capital.

According to the agreement, the government will allow Qadri and his convoy to enter the capital if the participants of the long march are unarmed, will not assault anyone and will not venture out of the designated areas.

The agreement further said that there would be no slogans chanted against the state nor will any participant try to enter the Red Zone or any other high security area.It also said that there will be a distance of 200 feet between the stage and the participants.

As per the agreement there will only be one entrance for the public and a separate entrance for the VIPs on the stage. The area will be cordoned off from all sides by tents.

Islamabad police has sealed off all the entry and exit points of the capital by placing containers and deploying heavy contingents of police, rangers and FC to provide security to the participants of the long march.

According to reports, 22,500 security personnel have been deployed in different parts of the capital.

Reportedly, the federal government has also released Rs 50 million for the expenses to be incurred to ensure security for the rally.

On the other hand a large numbers of containers were lined up and barbed wires erected on almost all the roads leading to the Parliament House and the Red Zone.

Intensive movement of policemen was witnessed on all the main roads leading to the city including Express Road, GT Road, Double Road, and Islamabad highway leading to the Blue Area.

On the direction of the Islamabad deputy commissioner Red Zone has been declared as a no-go area.

CCTV cameras have been installed from Faizabad to Red Zone as a security measure. Police and paramilitary forces have been provided with teargas shells and rubber bullets.

The policemen were strictly directed to stop all kinds of traffic and the marchers to reach the Red Zone and the Diplomatic Enclave, which have been secured by almost 3,000 security personnel.

Meanwhile, Islamabad continues to present a deserted look. It was as if the entire city had taken a holiday, routes that usually see heavy traffic were almost deserted. Due to the absence of public transport and blockade of main roads leading to the capital most of the people failed to reach their destinations.

In view of the situation, the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the Private School Association had already declared a holiday in educational institutions.

Frequent holidays in schools and colleges may prove harmful for the students as annual examinations are around the corner. Parents have appealed to the politicians to avoid disrupting routine lives of the people for their political point scoring.

The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and the Federal Government Polyclinic (FGP) prepared to deal with any emergency situation on the arrival of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran activists in the capital.

PIMS reserved a 100 beds and the Federal Government Polyclinic reserved 50 beds for any emergency situation.

“On average, 275 and 70 surgeries are performed daily at PIMS and Federal Government Polyclinic respectively,” said Dr Waseem Khawaja of PIMS and Dr Shareef Astori of Federal Government Polyclinic.

They said that their hospitals have activated disaster management cells for the `long march’ by putting in place all the required medicines, equipment, stretchers and other necessary equipment.

The blockade of roads also caused problems for patients as those coming from distant localities failed to reach the hospitals.

“My father is a patient of Hepatitis C, he became unconscious yesterday and we managed to bring him to a hospital with difficulty as the main roads were closed,” said Ahmad.

On the other hand, reportedly, additional police force from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir has also reached Islamabad to ensure security.

The markets, commercial establishments and offices were also closed partially for the day.

An official of the district administration said that the participants in the long march would be provided with security. Police personnel kept a tight vigil at AK Fazlul Haq Road and Luqman Hakeem Road, where the protesters are likely to enter into D-Chowk and the Red Zone.

He added that any lawbreakers would be dealt with severely. The long march participants would be required to park their vehicles in the F9 Park. A stage has been established in front of the Pak-Saudi Tower, where Dr Qadri is likely to address the participants.

Sensitive areas including the Parliament House and the Diplomatic Enclave are cordoned off by means of freight containers.

The Traders Associations said that if the march culminated in a violent protest, they would lodge an FIR against Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran.

Meanwhile the business of pushcarts increased manifold as the workers of TMQ purchased food items including corns, burgers, biscuits and mineral water.

Source : http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013%5C01%5C15%5Cstory_15-1-2013_pg11_1