Ceasefire brings relief after a day-long alert in twin cities

ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI: After spending the night interrupted by loud bangs, drones and missile strikes, the residents of twin cities spent a routine day as life remained calm despite the early morning spike in hostilities by India on Saturday.

Before a ceasefire was reached in the evening bringing much relief to the people, the authorities in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Attock district were fully prepared to deal with any war-like eventuality in light of early morning attacks by India targeting sensitive military installations in major cities.

In Rawalpindi, where the Noor Khan Airbase was targeted, the residents around the airbase, as well as from nearby localities of Shah Khalid Colony, Faisal Colony, Gulzar-i-Quaid and Chaklala Scheme-I, II and III, heard the loud explosion.

Soon after the attack, the blasts sparked concerns and rumours, with people feeling a full-blown war was imminent.

No panic buying reported as supply chain remained intact

In the morning, after the news about Pakistan’s response to India, most of the anxieties had been dissipated, and people went on about their usual routine.

“I was preparing for my exams when I suddenly heard the blast. I immediately woke up my family… we found out on social media and TV channels that India tried to attack Noor Khan Airbase; we spent a sleepless night till the reports emerged that nothing bad happened at the airbase,” said Muhammad Kamran, a resident of Chaklala Scheme-III.

Irfan Khalid, a resident of the Old Airport Road, said they found out through social media and TV that the blast had not caused much damage. “…we never heard such voices; we were not afraid, but remained cautious,” he said.

Muhammad Suleman, a resident of Shah Khalid Colony, said they got the “good news” of Pakistan’s response in the morning after spending a sleepless night.

Similarly, the hustle and bustle in Saddar, Raja Bazaar, and other commercial areas remained unaffected, and even the vendors felt comfortable enough to bring out their pushcarts.

Fresh produce

Some of the residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad were seen on the rooftops of their houses and in the streets early in the morning to observe the situation. Interestingly, there were some people, who had gone to bed early, came to know about the last night developments when they got up to enjoy their weekend morning.

Many fruit and vegetable sellers missed the Saturday morning auction at the wholesale market. Some vegetable sellers could not get the fresh supplies as their suppliers could not make it after remaining awake the whole night.

“I tried to take a nap for five minutes after 5am, but I woke up at 8am, and missed the trip to the Sabzi Mandi,” said Asad Abbasi, who supplies fresh produce to several shops in Margalla Town and Rawal Town.

However, the business in the Islamabad wholesale fruit and vegetable market remained normal.

“I can assure you that the business activities in Sabzi Mandi were not only normal but also remained ethical during the last 20 days and even on Saturday, none of the buyers or the sellers tried to take advantage of the situation by increasing the prices,” said Rizwan Farooq, president of the Islamabad Sabzi Mandi Welfare Association.

As pointed out by Mr Farooq, there was no panic buying of any item in the twin cities, and the activities remained normal even at the wholesale markets in Rawalpindi.

Due to the normal attitude of the consumers at the retail end, no shortage of any item has been reported in any area of Rawalpindi, Islamabad or surrounding areas. Even the consumers did not try to buy extra fuel for their vehicles.

Earlier, amid fears that the situation would further escalate, the capital administration in the morning issued a high alert for all hospitals in the federal capital, allocating 2,389 additional beds in 19 hospitals across the city, as per Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon.

Besides, a number of ambulances were also on standby at various hospitals in the city, including 26 ambulances at the District Health Office and 12 at Rescue 1122. Arrangements for the supply of medicines, blood, and oxygen to hospitals had also been made.

The administration had established 46 shelter houses for the people in case of any emergency, the official said, adding that 446 volunteers from Civil Defence across the city were assigned duties to participate in any relief activities.

The District Control Room of the district administration at the Safe City Complex was fully functioning in light of the threat. Emergency sirens were installed at 48 high-rise buildings across the city.

The district administration had also coordinated with mosques across the city for various emergency announcements. The DC Islamabad had issued clear instructions to all officers to remain in the field at all times.

Traffic

The authorities had taken into consideration the need for smooth traffic flow in case of any eventuality in the federal capital.

To avert any traffic congestion or reduce hurdles for the movements of any emergency vehicle like ambulances or fire tenders, all the roadblocks at various turnings had been cleared by the city administration.

While the deputy commissioner claimed that the opening of road turnings that were blocked with concrete blocks was a routine matter, a senior official of the traffic police told media that the move was to ensure free mobility.

Attock

In Attock, the emergency response departments of the district administration were also on full alert in light of the early morning strikes.

Attock Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza presided over a meeting of the District Emergency Coordination Committee in the morning to take a host of measures to deal with any emergency.

The meeting had also decided to establish control rooms at every emergency response department, besides a central control room at the office of the deputy commissioner for the protection of sensitive installations.

Moreover, the police as well as other law enforcement agencies were also on alert across the district as the comprehensive security measures were implemented across all six tehsils of Attock.

Amjad Iqbal in Taxila also contributed to this report

Published in media, May 11th, 2025