RAWALPINDI
\nIn preparation for the third and final Test match between Pakistan and England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, local businesses and public spaces have been heavily impacted by security measures.
\nAll shops in the food street near the stadium and along Double Road, Shamsabad, have been closed, while roads in the vicinity have been sealed.
\nAllama Iqbal Park, Rawalpindi\u2019s largest amusement park, has been cordoned off for the entire week, restricting recreational activities, including walking and jogging.
\nThis has led to mounting frustration among locals and business owners, as they face an unannounced shutdown that will last for five days, up to Friday.
\nSchools, businesses, and offices in the area have also been forced to close, and the Shamsabad metro bus station will remain non-operational, requiring passengers to disembark three furlongs away.
\nA heavy police presence has been deployed, and all movement and traffic in the vicinity have been halted.<\/p>\n
Double Road, one of the busiest routes in Shamsabad, has been blocked using containers and barbed wire, affecting around 100 eateries, small restaurants, and other shops in the food street.<\/p>\n
Residents will not be able to access Double Road during the match days, and additional restrictions have been imposed, including a ban on aerial firing, carrying weapons, and kite flying in the surrounding areas.
\nBusiness owners are voicing their frustration. Arjumand, a shopkeeper on the food street, lamented, \u201cThe food street is closed every other month for some reason. It would be better if it were relocated. Our businesses are suffering.\u201d
\nIqbal Hussain, leader of the Anjuman Tajaran Double Road, added, \u201cRoad closures have completely stopped business.
\nThe administration blocks roads for matches, protests, or conferences, and we bear the losses. Taxes should be waived or at least halved in these affected areas.\u201d
\nResidents, including Agha Feroze and Nasir Kazmi of Shamsabad, have called for the cricket stadium to be moved elsewhere. \u201cWhenever there\u2019s a match, we\u2019re trapped in our homes, and our children miss school,\u201d they said.
\nThe Test match is scheduled to take place from October 21 to October 25, with roads already closed for team practice on Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
RAWALPINDI In preparation for the third and final Test match between Pakistan and England at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, local businesses and public spaces have been heavily impacted by security measures. All shops in the food street near the stadium and along Double Road, Shamsabad, have been closed, while roads in the vicinity have been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-438640","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n