M-1 Motorway reopens to traffic between Islamabad and Peshawar

The M-1 Motorway between Islamabad and Peshawar was reopened to all traffic in both directions on Monday, along with the N-5 (GT Road), the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) announced, days after the routes were shut to block a planned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) march towards the capital.

PTI had been preparing a nationwide protest and march on Islamabad to press for the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who is held at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. The party announced on Sept 25 that the march had been postponed to Oct 4.

The NHMP said restoration work was still under way on parts of the network, and motorists were urged to follow traffic instructions and drive with caution in affected areas.

The loop connecting the M-1 with the Hazara Motorway remains closed as restoration work continues, the NHMP spokesperson said. Restoration also continues on the M-14 Motorway between Hakla and Kundal.

Motorists heading from Islamabad to Abbottabad on the M-1 have been advised to leave the motorway at the Burhan Interchange and travel via GT Road through Hassan Abdal. They can rejoin the Hazara Expressway at the Jhary Kas Interchange to continue toward Abbottabad.

Routes closed indefinitely last week

The government had shut the M-1, the M-14 (also known as the CPEC road) and GT Road indefinitely from the night of Wednesday, Sept 23, to stop PTI supporters from reaching Islamabad on Sept 27.

According to an NHMP statement at the time, the M-1 was closed in both directions between the Islamabad Toll Plaza and the Chhachh Interchange. The M-14 was closed between Hakla and Kundal, while GT Road was shut at Attock Khurd.

Attock, which borders Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is strategically important as a junction linking KP, northern Punjab and the Islamabad-Rawalpindi region. Authorities reportedly placed containers and sandbags at Attock Bridge and Haroon Bridge, the two main crossings between KP and Punjab. Security was also tightened at the Chhachh and Ghazi interchanges, with nearly 30,000 personnel deployed across the district.

Jamaat-i-Islami had also launched a march toward the capital against the petroleum levy, but put it off at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, pending a meeting with him.

Protest elsewhere, not Islamabad: Sanaullah

Speaking on Geo News programme Jirga on Saturday, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said everyone had a constitutional and legal right to protest, but that the capital should be excluded and the “practice” of marching on it ended.

“If anyone needs to protest, they can do so in Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Karachi, Peshawar, or Multan,” he said. He added that the restriction did not apply to PTI alone, noting that gatherings in Islamabad without prior permission are barred under the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024. He said foreign diplomats were present in the capital, and demonstrations would send a “bad message”.

The PML-N leader accused PTI of seeking to overthrow the government, alleging that its aim was to “erect ladders next to the walls of Adiala jail and break in to meet Imran Khan”, who has been imprisoned there since his Aug 5, 2023 conviction. “How is this peaceful?” he asked, adding that permission for a long march would not be granted if that was the intent.

Sanaullah said PTI had not applied to the Islamabad administration for permission or shared the timing and duration of its gathering. He said the party should approach the Islamabad High Court and furnish its “required guarantees”, but claimed it had no intention of doing so.

Containers placed “for safety”

Rejecting descriptions of Islamabad as a “container city”, Sanaullah said only the Red Zone and the M-1 were closed to traffic, and that containers had been positioned “at the corners” of the city’s roads for safety, so they could be deployed when needed. “The situation in Islamabad is not as it is being described in the media,” he asserted.

Asked whether the response to any march would mirror the Nov 26, 2024 crackdown on PTI’s “Final Call” protest, he declined to comment, citing friends and colleagues within the party. He warned, however, that PTI should not attempt a march that would push back law enforcement agencies and advance toward D-Chowk. “Under no circumstance will they be granted access,” he said.

He cautioned that any use of force by supporters, following the IHC’s recent ruling, would give authorities “legal backing” to respond.

Court ruling and security measures

Hearing a plea against the planned march, the IHC ruled on Sept 14 that no political party or its leadership has a lawful right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas or buildings in Islamabad.

Security arrangements remain in place in the Rawalpindi Division and the federal capital despite the postponement. Punjab has banned gatherings across the province until Oct 5 and prohibited incitement to “unlawful assembly”, while a similar Section 144 order has been in force in Islamabad for two months. The federal government has also approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several Punjab districts from Sept 20 to Oct 5.