Islamabad-Peshawar motorway reopened to traffic following ‘indefinite’ closure

The M-1 Motorway connecting Islamabad and Peshawar has been reopened to all traffic in both directions, according to the National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP). The closure of sections of M-14 (Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway) and the GT Road (N-5) had been in place for an indefinite period, triggered by government objections ahead of a planned long march by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party towards Islamabad.

The PTI had initially set a date of September 27 for the march, but it was subsequently postponed to October 4. Restoration efforts were still ongoing in areas such as the M-14 motorway between Hakla and Kundal, as well as the loop connecting M-1 with the Hazara Motorway.

When traffic heading from Islamabad to Abbottabad via the M-1 reaches the Burhan Interchange, they can use the GT Road through Hasan Abdal, and then rejoin the Hazara Expressway at Jhuri Kas Interchange. The N-5, or GT Road, between Islamabad and Peshawar has also been reopened to all traffic. In a directive issued on September 22, the motorway police announced the closure of the M-1 between the Islamabad Toll Plaza and Chhachh Interchange, as well as the closure of the M-14 between Hakla and Kundal and the GT Road at Attock Khurd.

Security measures were heightened in Attock, with containers and sandbags placed at critical bridges and intensified security at major entry and exit points in anticipation of the PTI protest.

However, on September 25, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced that the long march towards Islamabad would now begin from Peshawar on October 4. The PTI party was organizing a nationwide protest and march, advocating for the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who was currently held in custody at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

In the lead-up to the protest, the Punjab government imposed a 13-day ban on gatherings across the province and prohibited individuals from inciting others to form "unlawful assemblies." A similar Section 144 order, which restricted gatherings, remained in effect for two months in Islamabad. Additionally, the Punjab government requested the interior ministry to downgrade or jam mobile and internet services at select locations in Rawalpindi and Attock on September 27, and the federal government authorized the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and various districts of Punjab from September 20 to October 5.