RAWALPINDI: Just like the second day of Eid, people flocked to fun places across Rawalpindi division on the third day of Eid ul Azha to celebrate the festival.
People visited their relatives and holiday places to enjoy Eid celebrations with their loved ones.
Rawalpindi witnessed a lot of rush on the roads and people visited several picnic spots like Ayub National Park, Play Land, Allama Iqbal Park, Satellite Town Commercial Markets Family Park, Jinnah Park, Romi Park and other parks.
Girls were seen swinging in parks while children squealed on merry-go-rounds and adults were thrilled to see the smiles on their children’s faces.
A large number of people were also seen traveling towards Murree Hills to enjoy Eid celebrations as the weather in Murree Hills was very pleasant especially on Eid days.
Parks in Rawalpindi have been specially decorated to make them attractive to visitors.
Families visiting the city’s parks complained that the main reasons for concern were overcharging, the sale of poor-quality food and the unavailability of quality products.
The sellers took full advantage of the situation as the authorities concerned failed to control the quality and rates of the commodities, rather there was no check and balance in this regard and the traders had a free hand.
Citizens demanded the authorities to crack down on trespassers and those running away from tourists.
Visitor Mushtaq said he went to Ayub Park on an excursion because it was the best place to visit with his family during the Eid holidays.
“The food offered in the canteen was tantamount to blasphemy and children were robbed of their Eid is at different places,” said Mushtaq.
A special control room has also been set up at the office of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rawalpindi which is working round the clock to deal with any emergency situation.
According to the commissioner’s office spokesperson, on the instructions of Divisional Commissioner Rawalpindi, Engineer Aamir Khattak, the concerned departments, particularly the Police, City Traffic Police (CTP) and Rescue-1122, remained on high alert during the Eid ul Azha holidays to ensure security and provide maximum relief . citizens.
The authorities concerned have also been instructed to pay more attention to parks and other public places besides setting up special posts at various places by Rescue-1122 to avoid any untoward incident.
The residents celebrated Eid-ul-Azha with great religious fervor, zeal and festivity.
On the occasion, Rawalpindi Police implemented strict security measures on the instructions of City Police Officer (CPO) Syed Khalid Mehmood Hamdani.
No unusual incident was reported anywhere in the city.
The City Traffic Police, on the instructions of the Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rawalpindi, Taimoor Khan has also facilitated the flow of traffic for the citizens.
In Murree too, wardens successfully controlled the traffic mess.
Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Aamir Khattak and Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Hassan Waqar Cheema visited SOS Village and Child Welfare Office on Monday to share the joy of Eid with the children. The commissioner congratulated the children by cutting the Eid cake with them and distributing gifts among them.
The Child Protection Office and the SOS Village organized special meals for the children to celebrate the occasion.
People planned a number of programs while some organized BBQ parties in their homes while many families thronged to public parks (Ayub Park, Zia Park, Jinnah Park, Nawaz Sharif Park, Lake View) and other resorts like Murree, Pir Sohawa, Daman. -e-Koh, F-9 Park and Rawal Lake along with the kids and made tikkas and kebabs from various aromatic spices and lentils on charcoal.
Children and young girls enjoyed swings and delicious food like chana chat, gol gappay, burger, finger chips, pakoras, samosas and many other sweets.
As the government declared three public holidays, tens of thousands of citizens also headed to the hill resort of Murree.
Due to heavy deployment of traffic wardens, the traffic situation in Murree remained under control, a CTP spokesperson said.
He said the traffic police had deployed special patrols with squads to discourage unicycling.
He said the traffic situation in Murree remained under control due to the use of a special traffic plan prepared on the instructions of CTO Taimoor Khan.
“A large number of vehicles entered Murree during the Eid holidays and the traffic police handled the situation despite having less parking space,” he said.
Superintendent of Police Saddar Nabeel Khokhar also visited Murree and reviewed the security and traffic arrangements.
A police spokesperson informed that 700 policemen were deployed to ensure security in Murree while 300 traffic wardens regulated traffic.
Barbecue parties, swings in parks double the joy of citizens
Enthusiastic citizens along with children were witnessed at parks and dams where they were seen enjoying barbecues and mass parties on the third day of Eid-ul-Azha celebrations besides children enjoying swings.
Huge crowds of citizens in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta, Swat and other cities along with families are seen visiting parks and zoos which added color to Eid-ul Azha celebrations, a report aired by a private news channel said. .
According to tradition, people spent the first and second days of Eid at home and spent the third day visiting the homes of their loved ones, relatives and friends to exchange Eid greetings and meat, said a citizen of the capital.
People keep alive the rich traditions of hospitality, exchange meat dishes and invite their loved ones for barbeque parties besides distributing meat from sacrificial animals in the poor, which doubles their Eid joy, another Peshawar citizen said.
Children enjoy different rides in the parks and play games with each other. All public places are crowded with people since morning, said the traffic manager.
A lot of activity was seen in the parks, where people, mostly children and youths, enjoyed the swings and the open-air mass party with laughter and funfair, the woman said.
The prices of chips, biscuits, hamburgers, soft drinks, mineral water and other goods were sold in the parks at almost double the prices compared to the open markets, a citizen complained.
“Eid Al Azha is an important celebration for all of us according to our religion. It’s also a time to spend time and reconnect with family members we haven’t seen for a long time, so we planned to meet at the park and enjoy a BBQ party,” said another Lahore citizen.
