Though the government had sealed the capital in the wake of PTI’s long march and all entry points of Islamabad were blocked, a considerable number of protesters, however, managed to reach Jinnah Avenue till evening on Wednesday.
Protestors set on fire bushes and trees planted alongside the main road, damaged street lights and Metro Bus service fence, and also attacked a Metro Bus station on Jinnah Avenue.
Sources inside the Capital Development Authority and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad have informed that the public property sustained a loss of millions due to yesterday’s protest, which needs to be fixed immediately.
When contacted, Director Public Relations CDA Syed Asif Shah confirmed that a loss to public property has been caused by the protestors.
He informed that the high-ups of the authority have directed concerned formations to assess the damages and prepare a report in this regard.
JI plants trees at Jinnah Avenue
The local chapter of the Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday planted trees at Jinnah Avenue in lieu of those set ablaze by the supporters of PTI. The move was largely appreciated on social media by the citizens of Islamabad.
This is not the first time as earlier in a power show organised by PTI at Parade Ground on 27th March this year, city managers had spent huge funds to repair the parts of Parade Ground, which were damaged by the then ruling party workers.
The ruling party had gathered thousands of supporters from the entire country to show solidarity with the then prime minister Imran Khan in response to a no-trust motion tabled by joint opposition in the National Assembly against him.
At that time, both PTI and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam led by Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman were holding public gatherings on same days but unfortunately according to official records, PTI supporters, who were supposed to be the educated and civilised lot of the country, have been proved ill-mannered and unorganised as compared to the supporters of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam led by Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman.
“Both the parties were holding public gatherings at two different locations of the city at the same time,” an officer told the Nation, adding: “But, there was no damage to the public property by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam workers while the other ones ruined a large part of the Parade Ground, causing loss of millions to the exchequer.”