Sabahet N. Qureshi
In our culture, the most heartwarming gesture in the morning is hugging or greeting your loved ones with warmth. But lately, in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, this tradition has taken a… Mechanical twist! With the ongoing Test Match, the only real “match” happening off the ground is between bikes and cars — hugging and kissing each other on the jam-packed roads.
Every morning and evening, during office and school hours, instead of people greeting each other, it’s the vehicles doing the job, bumpers touching, side mirrors shaking hands, and horns singing their own national anthem.
Due to road closures around the stadium, the scene at peak hours is nothing short of a comedy show, one that nobody bought tickets for! Those trying to reach offices, schools, or hospitals find themselves in the middle of a live-action road race, with frustration, fumes, and a faint hope of making it on time.
The irony? While some enjoy the thrill of watching cricket inside the stadium, the real test match is happening outside between patience, petrol, and pocket! Because every minor “hug” between two vehicles comes with its own financial damage report, and that’s not quite the bonus our hardworking citizens were hoping for.
So, the question remains, for whom is this cricket match really fun? For the players on the pitch or the poor souls stuck in traffic watching their fuel and sanity run out?
The writer is Advocate High Court
