Several roads in Rawalpindi, known as the garrison city, have been blocked with containers as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced nationwide protests against proposed constitutional amendments following Friday prayers.
Reports indicate that barriers have been set up on Peshawar Road near Charing Cross and on Nal Road near the Military Hospital, with one lane still open for traffic. Zigzag barricades have been installed at the entry points to Rawalpindi, and police personnel have been deployed.
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Routes leading to Murree Chowk and Liaquat Bagh are closed, while single-lane traffic is permitted at Sawan Bridge. All other routes in Rawalpindi remain operational.
Metro Bus Services Suspended
In Rawalpindi and Islamabad, the Metro bus service has been suspended for the fifth consecutive day. The service was first halted from October 14 to 16 due to security concerns during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference, and it remained closed on October 17 as well, continuing to be suspended today, Friday.
26th Amendment
On Thursday, Irfan Siddiqui, the Parliamentary Leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the Senate, announced that a bill regarding the constitutional package would be presented in the upper house of parliament on Friday. He stated that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and PML-N had reached a consensus on a comprehensive draft. This comes after the coalition government claimed to have secured the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament to pass the constitutional amendment.