Bilal Mazhar Khawaja, 44, runs three restaurants in Islamabad. For the past few days his business has been severely hit, with food supply chains disrupted and movement of staff restricted as the Pakistani capital remains in an indefinite lockdown in anticipation of the stalled US-Iran talks.
Pakistan has mediated the first round of peace talks to end the seven-week-old war between US and Iran. It appeared confident to get both sides talking again as US president Donald Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire withTehran this week, hours before it was set to expire, to allow the two countries to continue the the peace negotiations.
No date for the talks has been set, but the city remains under sweeping security restrictions, forcing locals to grapple with uncertainty.
Khawaja tells The Independent over the phone: “They (the administration) have blocked all main roads leading to Islamabad. Trucks full of bread and cooking oil, which have been denied entry to the city, have not been able to deliver supplies.”
His staff have not been able to travel to the restaurants because movement of public transport has been restricted. “Earlier, they would spend, say, 50 to 60 (Pakistani) rupees to reach their work using the public transport. Now, if they hire a taxi, for example, it will cost them 300. Most of them prefer to stay home.”
Khawaja, whose businesses have been impacted severely, says if in the next few days the administration doesn’t ease out the restrictions, he would be forced to let some of his staff go. “It is impacting everyone.”
“Near the (Islamabad) airport, there are no shops open. Not even chemists. Fuel stations have no fuel.”
It was previously reported that US vice president JD Vance would lead the US delegation to Pakistan. The visit got delayed even though there were reports that Iran was reconsidering its initial refusal to engage in further talks.
Islamabad remains hopeful that the talks will take place soon. On Wednesday, Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, met with Iran’s ambassador, and according to one official who was briefed on the talks, the second round of negotiations could take place within the next few days.
However, Iran’s capture of two cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday has led to fresh uncertainty in Islamabad over the plans for the second round of peace negotiations to end the war in the Middle East.
Residents who have had to deal with high security, road closures, and scarce public transport for days now, say their daily lives are badly impacted by the stringent measures.
The government has asked offices to close and urged employees to work from home. Schools have been moved online. Streets which were once crowded are mostly empty.
Several areas, especially “red zone”, which houses critical government institutions, including the parliament, Supreme Court, the prime minister’s secretariat, and foreign embassies.
Al Jazeera said that for ordinary Islamabad residents, the impact has been “devastating”.
An X user wrote: “Islamabad was turned into a lockdown zone for days leaving ordinary people stuck in traffic missing flights work and daily routines. Security is important but when an entire city suffers before talks even begin it raises serious questions about priorities and planning.”
Another person wrote: “Islamabad & Rawalpindi are in lockdown with public transport & electric buses suspended in anticipation of US & Iran delegations’ arrival…The public is going through hell!”
“Take the red zone out of Islamabad and move it outside, and kindly let the people of Islamabad and Pindi live a normal life,” wrote another social media user.
Daily wage earners have been among the worst affected. Muhammad Zubair, 45, a labourer, told The Guardian: “A lockdown means no work and no work means no food. The government does not care about the poor. We need work to feed our children.”
He has not been able to find work for the past six days. Small business owners are struggling too. Earnings have dropped sharply.
Muhammad Ahsan, 35, the owner of a small jewellery kiosk, told AFP: “The impact of the lockdown is that we are not seeing any customers here in the market… the government does not know what one day of their lockdown does to our households.”
“Our stoves do not run, we do not find food (in the markets).”
Areej Akthar, a health officer at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, told The Guardian: “Saturday was chaotic. I am lucky enough that my village is a three-hour drive away. But many people [who] were from distant cities and province[s] had to beg their colleagues, friends and relatives to allow them to stay until the US-Iran negotiations took place.”
With transport services suspended, commuting has become difficult or impossible.
Akhtar added: “It is like we are living in a cage.”
Students are also feeling the strain. Some exams have been moved to another city, forcing candidates to travel long distances.
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has already disrupted global energy supplies. Pakistan has also been hit hard. Fuel shortages have led to long power cuts. Gas shortages have forced restaurants to close. The latest lockdown has only deepened these problems for the citizens.
However, despite the difficulties, there are locals who back the administration’s decision to put the city in an indefinite shutdown. “We are giving a small sacrifice to reduce the size of the larger sacrifice. So we will continue to sacrifice,” a local was quoted as saying by AFP.
Pakistani officials are hopeful that the diplomatic channels will reopen.
Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US and UK who was also briefed on the continuing diplomatic efforts, told The New York Times: “The cease-fire has opened a space that Pakistan thinks is enough for the diplomatic path to resume. Neither side has rejected the talks.”
