I would like to bring to the notice of all the authorities concerned, the acute hardship and inconvenience being caused to the public in Karachi on account of the stringent security measures introduced on Abdullah Haroon Road, between Hoshang Road and Hotel Metropole, to provide security to the US Consulate located there.
-- Lately, the police started stopping taxis, motor cycles and many other vehicles from using that portion of Abdullah Haroon Road. Marriott Hotel and ABN Amro bank are located there and many people have to visit them, but they are not allowed to do so if they are travelling either on motor cycles, taxis, or a high roof vehicle.
-- I recently wanted to go to ABN Amro Bank for my normal banking business and was asked to get down at Hotel Metropole and walk up, as the taxi in which I was travelling was not permitted to cross the barrier near Hotel Metropole.
-- Yesterday evening (1st April), that portion of Abdullah Road was totally closed and no vehicles were allowed to pass that road. As it was the peak traffic time, total chaos was created and it took me nearly 45 minutes to go from Hotel Metropole to Clifton Bridge (a distance which nearly takes less than 5 minutes), as I had to inch my way through the traffic jam via Club Road and Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road.
-- If the US Consulate is under such acute threat, why not move it to some secluded area where no one may be allowed to be near it, for miles? Or, if that is not possible why not close the Consulate altogether. As it is, the Consulate is virtually closed and no service is being provided to the public from there and for every little thing we have to travel to Islamabad to see the Embassy there.
-- I wonder if residents of Washington or New York would tolerate such measures around the Embassy of Pakistan - the staunchest ally of United States in its war on terror. If Al-Qaeda could attack the World Trade Centre and even the Pentagon in the United States, it could easily attack the Pakistan Embassy in Washington and the Consulate in New York specially in view of the latest threat held out by Al-Qaeda against Pakistan after the Wana operation.