Islamabad - Stringent security measures were witnessed around Federal Judicial Academy on Wednesday during the appearance of Maryam Nawaz Sharif before Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which disturbed the routine matters of citizens.

Commuters including students and patients approaching Federal Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (FBISE), Bait-ul-Mal and Shifa International Hospital experienced extreme difficulties, as they were barred from reaching their destinations for all day long by the authorities.

All three facilities are situated nearby Federal Judicial Academy (FJA). The area was blocked with barbed wires and entry points from eastern and westerns sides were closed for commoners.

Moreover, police pickets installed on the entry points of IJP Road and Express Highway added to the miseries of the citizens trying to reach their offices in the sectors H-8 and I-8.

Muhammad Aftab along with her daughter came from Taxila on local transport. He had to reach Bait-ul-Mal to put up the case of her daughter for exemption of fee.

“We walked for 20 minutes inquiring about the Bait-ul-Mal office and the police official on picket diverted us to another way to reach there,” he said. Aftab said that when they reach another entry point, the officials there told that today it is impossible to reach there because no one is allowed to cross the lines.

“Till Maryam Nawaz Sharif is at FJA consider Bait-ul-Mal as closed, an official replied when we insisted him to allow us to enter,” said Aftab.

Heavy police and Frontier Constabulary  contingents at Service road South H-8 and Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum road blocked the locality for all kind of movement till 3pm.

All the political gathering was contained at Mir Chakar Khan Road where hundreds of political workers from the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League  showed there power.

The demonstration and the political activity led to the traffic jam creating hurdles for the residents of areas which had to be restricted at their homes.

Imran Ali with his ailing brother, and a file of medical papers, has reached from Mangla for the medical examination of his brother at Shifa International Hospital.

“We walked half hour from Faizababad bus station and reached this area ‘service road east’ and now officials are not allowing us to pass this picket,” he said.

He said the high profile personalities do not think about the miseries of a common man, “We cannot afford hiring a cab at every point and will walk to reach the hospital,” he said.  Dozens of students kept reaching to FBISE since morning while administration kept returning them from the pickets following the orders.

Muneeb Khan told The Nation that he was here to submit his supplementary examination form but he was stopped by the authorities.

“Administration is tricking every student, they divert them to another street which is also blocked,” he complained.

The closure of offices was announced and students are confused in this situation.

“On-duty police officials are turning everyone back and saying come tomorrow, as today is not a working day,” complained Muneeb.

The security measures are giving the impression as Prime Minister  has arrived here today, he added.

Akhtar Hussain, an official from FBISE, informed The Nation that officials also reached to departments early in the morning taking different routes. 

Kaleem-ullah an official from the security forces talking to The Nation said, “We are following the orders and no one is allowed to pass the pickets till further instructions.”