On Wednesday, the construction of 38.3 km of Rawalpindi Rang Road faced fresh barriers when the affected landowners staged a peaceful demonstration outside the office of Rawalpindi Division Commissioner Aamir Khatak, demanding a long delay.
For about an hour, the protests raised play cards and banners, demanded their dues and warned that failure to resolve the issue within 15 days would lead to big demonstrations. Landlords influenced the landowners’ action committee under the Ring Road banner, threatening to stop GT Road and the carway with their families if they did not have demands.
Committee leaders said they were not asking for favor but were not asking for their lawful rights, and emphasizing that they had repeatedly failed to assure. He argued that the land acquired has been inherited and should be paid fairly.
Some people warned that if payments were delayed, the project was warned about eliminating machinery or camping on their ancestral land.
According to official data, 8,992 canals were obtained for the project, including Rs. 5.9 billion allocated for compensation. The payment was made on March 31, 2025, but many landowners say they are still waiting for their shares.