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

The M-1 Motorway linking Islamabad and Peshawar reopened fully to all vehicle traffic on Monday, according to the National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP). This reopening follows an indefinite closure of the motorway earlier in the week, which also affected sections of the M-14 (Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway) and the GT Road (N-5).

The closure was prompted by government opposition to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party's planned long march towards Islamabad, originally scheduled for September 27 but postponed to October 4. The PTI was organizing a nationwide protest demanding the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who is currently held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

NH&MP spokespersons informed that restoration work continued on the M-14 between Hakla and Kundal and the loop connecting the M-1 to the Hazara Motorway. For those traveling from Islamabad to Abbottabad via the M-1, the exit at Burhan Interchange and the subsequent route via the GT Road through Hasan Abdal, leading back to the Hazara Expressway at Jhuri Kas Interchange, remained operational. The N-5 or GT Road between Islamabad and Peshawar was also reopened to all traffic on Monday.

In a directive issued on September 22, the motorway police had announced a closure of the M-1 between the Islamabad Toll Plaza and Chhachh Interchange, along with the M-14 between Hakla and Kundal, and the GT Road at Attock Khurd. To prepare for the PTI protest, security measures were heightened in Attock, with containers and sandbags placed near critical bridges, and a reinforced security presence at major entry and exit points.

However, the PTI's march towards Islamabad was officially changed to commence from Peshawar on October 4, following a statement by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. The PTI had planned a nationwide protest to advocate for the release of Imran Khan, currently incarcerated in Adiala jail. In anticipation of this, the Punjab government implemented a 13-day ban on gatherings and a Section 144 order in Islamabad, while also requesting the downgrade or jamming of mobile and internet services in Rawalpindi and Attock on September 27.

The federal government subsequently approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several Punjab districts from September 20 to October 5.