Islamabad Under Siege – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1012

Islamabad Under Siege – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1012

Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1012 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to aq.pharmaveterans@gmail.com for publishing your contributions here.

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Disclaimer: This is not a political post. I do not subscribe to any political party. It is a common person’s problem who is living and working here.

Political ideologies died long ago. What is left are pure commercial interests, which do not interest any person who feels she/he has a stake in this country.

Friday 4th October 2024

I was doing usual work in the morning, posting blog, sending a few messages for the day, sipping tea and thinking about the day ahead. At 7.00am, the phone service went dead. I don’t have a fixed internet line, the one I have is also data-based device, so the internet also went dead. I knew a political party had planned a protest in D-chowk which is many kilometers away from my living and working places, but nonetheless. Anyway, I got ready and left home at the usual time to go to office. After covering some distance on the usual route, I found the road blocked firmly with multiple containers. Mind it, it is the main artery connecting various parts of the city.

Roadblocks have become quite frequent in Islamabad, and the places are also known. For example, every protesting party would like to block Faizabad interchange. That disrupts parts of Islamabad Expressway also. Other parts, particularly Srinagar highway remains open. Today, it was firmly closed. 

Since I am familiar with limited routes, therefore, I came back home. There was no communication all day, no phone, no internet, and I don’t have TV connectivity either. An entire day wasted.

Saturday 5th October 2024

Since the mobile and data services were not restored even after 24 hours, I had the premonition that roads would be no better. 

I got ready anyway and tried three different routes to reach the office. Every road, even the smaller ones were blocked with containers. After running around for an hour, I gave up the effort and came to a restaurant when they confirmed their internet was working. I sat there for couple of hours, connected with some colleagues, and knew that all over the situation was the same. I talked to my family in the other city, and they said they were also experiencing disruptions on the roads and in communication.

Another entire day wasted.

Sunday 6th October 2024

It is morning here. Mobile and data services are still suspended. There is no office today, so I didn’t go out to check the roads, but I can safely assume these would be still blocked. 

I don’t know if there has been any official announcement of what is going on and when will it stop. If at all there has been, there is no way of knowing it because of complete block on communication. Fixed line internet is probably still working.

Islamabad is still sealed, no one can leave or enter.

The Huge Impact

This is for all parties to consider; government, law-enforcing agencies, protesters, political parties, and the public.

• Imagine! How many patients could not reach hospitals. Maybe some passed away for lack of treatment. Maybe the dead could not even get a decent funeral.

• Imagine! Family members living across cities could not reach one another even in cases of serious, life-threatening emergencies.

• Imagine! How many daily wage workers could not work and earn living for that day. The crowds of people who sit at various places to find masonry and paint work, either did not reach their work spots, or did not find work. What if they and their families had to go without food or medicine?

• Imagine! Shops and markets that could not open. Their daily wage employees, their suppliers, their vendors could not operate and went without work.

• Imagine! A huge number of mobile salespersons who work on commission basis could not go to markets and did not earn anything.

• Imagine! Billions of rupees lost in trade and business for every day of lost work.

• Imagine! All online/ remote workers losing their work/job forever.

The list is endless.

On the other end of the spectrum are those who were happy to get unexpected days off. They didn’t have to worry about loss of income, and they could enjoy leisure time with family and friends, eating, talking, watching movies, gaming or else. The world is divided unjustly.

Where to Next?

The protests can be effectively handled with negotiations, and it is also long-term solution. Use of force is an option which may be used selectively and intelligently. However, around the world, use of force comes first and continues; negotiations are not even considered. Both parties stick to their positions (and guns), and people suffer. 

Question is, is the country for the warring political parties or the people? Why do the millions of people suffer at the hands of a few claiming to have a cause? Who is this part of public that becomes party to various parties and create disruptions from both sides? Do they know what they are doing? Do they understand its significance? Do they realize the damage they are causing? Do they comprehend the futility of all this?

The questions are also endless. There are no answers, however.

It is time we get into our senses, differentiate between right and wrong, not from personal but country’s point of view, and correct our course. It is for all of us, without exception.

Concluded.

Disclaimers: Pictures in these blogs are taken from free resources at Pexels, Pixabay, Unsplash, and Google. Credit is given where available. If a copyright claim is lodged, we shall remove the picture with appropriate regrets.

For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intent to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, however, it happens unintentionally, I offer my sincere regrets.