The M-1 motorway between Islamabad and Peshawar has reopened to all traffic in both directions, the National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) said on Monday, a week after it was shut for an “indefinite” period ahead of the PTI’s planned march on the capital.
The Grand Trunk Road (N-5) between the two cities has also been reopened to all vehicles, a Motorway Police spokesperson said.
Where work is still under way
Restoration is continuing on parts of the network. In a later statement, the spokesperson said the M-14 Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan motorway had reopened between Hakla and Kot Belian and between Isa Khel and Yarik, while work was still under way on the stretch between Kot Belian and Isa Khel.
Repairs are also continuing on the loop that links the M-1 with the Hazara Motorway. Until that is complete, drivers heading from Islamabad to Abbottabad on the M-1 are advised to:
- Leave the motorway at Burhan Interchange
- Take the GT Road via Hasan Abdal
- Rejoin the Hazara Expressway at Jhuri Kas Interchange
Why the roads were closed
The Motorway Police announced the closures on September 22. The M-1 was shut in both directions between the Islamabad Toll Plaza and Chhachh Interchange, the M-14 between Hakla and Kundal, and the GT Road at Attock Khurd.
Security was also tightened in Attock, where containers and sandbags were placed at key bridges and checks were stepped up at major entry and exit points, as the authorities prepared for the PTI protest.
The party had planned a nationwide protest and march on Islamabad to press for the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who is held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. The march was first set for September 27, but on September 25 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said it would now begin from Peshawar on October 4.
Other measures remain in place
The reopening does not mean all restrictions have been lifted. The Punjab government has banned gatherings across the province for 13 days and prohibited inciting people to “unlawful assembly”, while a similar ban under Section 144 has been in force in Islamabad for two months.
Punjab also asked the interior ministry to downgrade or suspend mobile and internet services at specific locations in Rawalpindi and Attock on September 27, and the federal government approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several districts of Punjab from September 20 to October 5.
A vital link
The M-1 is a key route between the federal capital and Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and connects with the Hazara Motorway towards Abbottabad and the north. With it, parts of the M-14 and the GT Road at Attock Khurd all shut, travellers between the two provinces had to rely on alternative routes for most of last week.
Why it matters
Reopening the motorway brings relief to travellers and businesses that depend on the route. But with the PTI’s march now set for October 4 and security orders still in force until October 5, the coming week will show whether the roads stay open or whether closures return as the date approaches.
This article draws on reporting published by Dawn.
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