Malaysian Media Personnel Navigate Winding Path Home Amid Islamabad Protests

From Mohd Haikal Mohd Isa

ISLAMABAD, 6 Okt (Bernama) -- A group of Malaysian media personnel found themselves on an unexpected three-hour detour last night, navigating the winding roads of villages and small towns as they travelled from their hotel to Islamabad International Airport to catch their flight home.

Protests in Pakistan’s capital forced them to take alternative routes to the airport, a journey that usually takes only half an hour. 

The media representatives from the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), Radio Television Malaysia (RTM), TV3, and Astro Awani were in Islamabad from Oct 2 to 4 to cover Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's State Visit to Pakistan.

They were compelled to take alternative routes after the heavily armed Pakistani army and police shut down highways and roads to prevent protests by supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan.

“The trip from our hotel in the centre of Islamabad to the international airport usually takes about 30 minutes.

“However, due to extensive roadblocks by the Pakistani army and police, we had to use alternative routes through villages and small towns of Islamabad at night, taking over three hours to reach the airport,” Bernama photographer Ahmad Iskandar Kamaruzaman said today. 

Ahmad Iskandar expressed gratitude on behalf of his fellow Malaysian media personnel for the efforts made by Malaysian embassy officials and drivers to ensure their safe arrival at Islamabad Airport, despite the lengthy and winding alternative route taken at night.

“Without the help of embassy officials Encik Amri and Encik Anwar, as well as the skilled Pakistani driver from the embassy, we wouldn’t have made it to Islamabad International Airport on time for our flight back to Malaysia. Thank you,” he said.

Ahmad Iskandar said the situation has become increasingly challenging for media personnel following the authorities’ decision to block mobile phone services across Islamabad, a move seen as an effort to prevent the gathering of thousands of supporters of Imran Khan at several protest sites in the capital.

In addition to being a former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan is the founder of the Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

Meanwhile, Bernama journalist Mohd Haikal Isa described their journey in a four-wheel-drive vehicle as quite challenging, as they navigated hilly roads through remote villages in pitch darkness and heavy rain, all without any telecommunications network.

He said their thrilling journey along an alternative route to Islamabad International Airport took them past a cemetery and a railway line in the remote outskirts of the city, where the roads were dark and muddy from the heavy rain.

“According to the embassy official, although Islamabad is no stranger to political protests, the situation in the past couple of days has been the worst in recent times, with authorities using dozens of containers on the roads to block Imran Khan’s supporters,” he said.

Supporters of Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister are expected to continue their protests today, as security forces maintain a tight grip throughout Islamabad.

The strict control of the Pakistani authorities in Islamabad is expected to be in place until the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which will be held in the country from Oct 15 to 16.

The SCO will be attended by leaders from Russia, China, Pakistan, India, Iran, Turkiye, and several other countries.

-- BERNAMA