Azadi March venue could disrupt daily life in Islamabad.

Byline: Kashif Abbasi

ISLAMABAD -- The Azadi March could disrupt everyday life in the capital if it is prolonged or spins out of control because the venue chosen for the march is located in the heart of the city, near educational institutions and government buildings.

The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the capital administration have agreed that the protest will be held in the car park of the H-9 Sunday Market, near Peshawar Mor along Kashmir Highway. The venue is next to the metro bus depot and track.

The JUI-F held public meetings across the country and began marching towards the capital on Sunday. The march is scheduled to reach Islamabad on Oct 31, and the leadership of the party has not announced its duration.

During a visit to the protest site, Dawn found that while the space will accommodate a large number of protesters, the organisers will have to take steps to reduce dust and remove weeds before people gather there.

One half of the venue is used for parking for visitors to the Sunday Market and the other half, which contains a cricket pitch, is abandoned. The car park is also used as an unauthorised link road between Kashmir Highway and H-9.

Defence Minister Pervez Khattak said the protest site is between 20 and 30 acres. He told the press on Saturday that the JUI-F have chosen to hold their gathering there.

This is the first time this site will be used as a protest venue. It is located along Kashmir Highway, which leads to Islamabad International Airport, the G.T. Road and the motorway.

H-8 and H-9 are also designated sectors for educational institutions and home to schools, colleges and universities, as well as several government offices.

Upscale schools, private universities and Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) are located in H-8, while H-9 contains the National University of Modern Languages, Iqra University, H-9 FG College, Technical College, Higher Education Commission Secretariat, Excise and Taxation Office, National Curriculum Council Office, Children's Library and so on.

Across Kashmir Highway there are government offices such as the Federal Directorate of Education, which supervises the capital's 423 educational institutions.

H-9 Colony resident Ishaq, who was waiting for his friends at the protest site, said this venue should not have been allotted for the protest because citizens will suffer in the event of a prolonged sit-in.

He said Sunday Market visitors will be inconvenienced and, in the event of unrest...