Islamabad, 'Pindi back to normal

Following the end of three weeks long sit-in by Tehreek Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYRA), the normalcy started returning to the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad. After the clearance of Faizabad, the main interchange connecting the twin cities, the traffic on Monday evening was restored. The people from different walks of life took a sigh of relief after the sit-in was called off early Monday morning as protesters reached an agreement with the government.
The people talking to Business Recorder told that during past three weeks, their daily lives were worst hit and business came to a standstill as a result of TLYRA protest sit-in which blocked the main link between the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad where thousands of people travel for various purposes.
Thousands of people working in public and private sectors as well as businessmen travel to Islamabad daily from Rawalpindi. Moreover, thousands of people from Islamabad also visit Rawalpindi for performing duties and business activities. Moreover people from Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtuankhwa also depend on the wholesales markets located in Islamabad/Rawalpindi for the supply of daily use items as well as other necessitates of life.
Ajmal Khan, the owner of ECL labs Islamabad, talking to BR correspondent said that his business faced serious hardships over the past three weeks, adding that he was monthly earning Rs 100,000 but during ongoing month he is unable to manage the monthly rent of his lab which strands at Rs 17500. He said that the end of sit-in will enable him as well as other traders to pay their monthly rents.
Ahsan Shah, a student of Islamic International University said that during past three weeks normal educational activities remained suspended at his university as the students as well as other university staff travelling from various parts of the twin cities were unable to reach university. He added that other educational institutions also faced same problems.
Raja Zubair, a government employee said that during the past 21 days he as well as other low-salaried public servants faced serious hardships because of sit-in as they were forced to reach offices by using cabs as public transport and metro bus services remained closed. He said when there was no sit-in, he was spending only Rs 1,000 on transpiration but sit-in escalated his transportation cost to Rs 9,000.
Anwar Jutt, a hotel owner in Blue Area, said that as a result of sit-in he failed to timely bring vegetables and other items to cook various dishes for his clients as a result he was facing immense problems to pay the monthly salaries of his employees. Shakeel Awan, a shopkeeper, said that doing business in Blue Area has become very problematic owing to sit-ins in the federal capital by political parties and religious groups and, therefore, many traders have started shifting their businesses to other parts of the city.