Fuel, food shortage hits residents of twin cities

ISLAMABAD—The fuel and food shortage in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi is creating problems for the residents of the twin cities for the last three days.
The situation emerged after the assassination of late PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and declaration of three-day mourning for the slain leader. Various associations dealing with supply of fuel and owners of fuel stations have also announced to observe three-day mourning and subsequently shut down their business.
It resulted in shortage of fuel supply for motorists andaffected vehicular movement in the twin cities.
Traffic remained scant as commuters faced difficulties whike travelling between the twin cities and locally. People were seen waiting on bus stops. Jibran Malik, an owner of fuel station in G-9 sector, said they closed down their business in line with the announcement made by the association. Similarly, many localities in the Federal Capital are confronted with food shortage as the main business centers remained closed. No visible business activity could take place as the shopkeepers kept their shutters down.
Ajmal Karim, a shopkeeper in Sitara Market, said that he had not opened his shop because of the tense situation. His other fellow businessmen closed their business centers asa precautionary measure to avoid being attacked by angry mobs, he added.
Zarina Mustafa, a esident of Sector F-6, said they had to fetch necessary food items after much difficulty as the main markets in their vicinity remained closed.—Agencies