Rawalpindi-The refusal of Race Course graveyard administration to bury a civilian resident of Westridge, without the permission of Station Commander, sparked a protest among the Westridge residents, sources disclosed on Friday.
The angry residents staged a protest at Chairing Cross on Thursday by placing the dead body in the middle of the road.
The blockage caused a massive traffic jam and inconvenience to the commuters. However, Station Commander Brig Tanveer Shehzad took notice of the incident and allowed the heirs to bury the local resident named Muhammad Muzaffar. Muzaffar, a retired gardener from Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, had died from protracted illness. His funeral prayer was held at Westridge Bazaar at 11 am on September 21, 2017.
A protestor, Shafqat Bajwa, told The Nation that Station Commander, during negotiation with protestors, said that the authorities had instructed them to bury only the martyrs of armed forces and those belonging to military families.
The Station Commander also told them that they wanted to extend the graveyard but an elected representative was not releasing funds allocated by the government for the purpose. The locals urged the Cantt and Garrison authorities to expand the Race
Course Graveyard so that the civilians residing in cantonment can also bury their family members.
Meanwhile, the intelligence agencies have prepared a detailed report about the protest demo held by locals of Westridge against the shortage of space for the burial of civilians in Race Course.