New Delhi: Washington and Tehran, the capitals of the two warring countries, are fully functional, but ironically, the peacemaker’s capital remains shut. America may or may not host the second round of US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad, but the indefinite lockdown of the city has riled up its residents.
The initial euphoria over Pakistan playing peacemaker has now turned into anger, which is being vented out across social media platforms. Islamabad has been placed under strict security and an undeclared, indefinite lockdown for more than 10 days in April, as Pakistan attempts to host a second round of peace talks between the US and Iran.
“Shutdown of Islamabad shows mindset of rulers. Lives disrupted for days without negotiations starting! Because they don’t give a damn what impact it has on the lives of ordinary Pakistani’s! Flight from USA is 13 hours. How incompetent is security team which can’t shutdown city in that time?”, former federal minister Asad Umar wrote on X.
Several others could be seen agreeing with the thoughts of Umar.
“Isloo… open the goddamn city, no one cares if Vance or Trump are coming…”, former Dawn editor Cyril Almeida added.
Businesses and residents in Islamabad, too, are increasingly frustrated after weeks of road closures and the shutdown of schools and offices, as authorities maintain strict security measures in hopes of hosting further US-Iran peace talks.
While the lockdown has made international headlines, local newspapers have kept quiet on the weeks-long shutdown. X users also pointed out that local reporters are reportedly not allowed to cover the lockdown.
The Guardian, in an article, called it a ‘pandemic style limbo’ where residents have compared the lockdown to “living in a cage”.
Al Jazeera, on the other hand, highlighted the economic cost of a complete shutdown of the capital city, with ‘typically packed’ shops being closed and public transportation being shut down, making Islamabad inaccessible for common citizens.
A Wall Street Journal report quoted local shopkeepers who said they had lost 60 per cent of their customers.
Markets face the heat
Shops in Islamabad have been allowed to stay open, unlike during earlier rounds, when closures were enforced, but access to the capital’s central, high-security zones is once again restricted. The roadblocks have disrupted supply chains and cut into local businesses’ revenues.
Twenty-nine-year-old Amir Hossein, who runs a coffee shop in one of the red zone areas, was quoted as saying that customer traffic had dropped by about 60 per cent since the latest shutdown began Sunday. Another shopkeeper noted that shortages could follow if restrictions persist.
The disruption also comes amid a broader energy crisis, amid surging fuel costs and increased power outages driven by natural gas shortages.
The government has also moved exams for more than 1,200 civil service candidates to Lahore. Many are unsure they can even go for it.
“I may have to borrow money,” one resident told The Guardian. “The burden was even heavier for women. Many female candidates cannot travel alone without a parent. Some are considering skipping the exam altogether.”
Prominent Pakistani journalist Matiullah Jan shared a picture on X showing rotten fruits due to the lockdown.
Also read: How Pakistani TV series Aik Aur Pakeezah turns cybercrime into a social message
‘A permanent paralysis’
Others are pointing out the massive inconvenience to the common residents.
“The ongoing deadlock in Iran-US negotiations is having a tangible impact on local communities. Residents living near Nur Khan Airbase, as well as those along Islamabad Expressway and within the Red Zone, are facing considerable inconvenience. Furthermore, police and other law enforcement personnel deployed from various districts are also experiencing significant operational and logistical challenges,” Pakistani X user Ayesha Ufaq said.
Others have labelled it ‘a permanent paralysis’.
“By now, Pakistan should’ve realized…Iranians are taking their sweet time deciding if they’ll even show up for Round 2 of talks with the US in Islamabad. So why keep Rawalpindi & Islamabad in full lockdown mode — roads sealed, traffic halted, everything looking paralysed as if under some ominous spell? Time to ease off the high alert and let the capital breathe until Tehran decides to take the flight to Islamabad. Diplomacy needs patience for sure…but not permanent paralysis,” Pakistani journalist Nusrat Javeed wrote on X.
“The regime would risk economic fallout at home just to appease Trump, who is busy managing optics around a ceasefire & protecting US markets”, an angry X user noted while another simply said, “Begani shaadi me abdullah deewana”, a colloquial Urdu expression used to mock extreme excitement over somebody else’s big day.
(Edited by Saptak Datta)