ISI given 4-week extension to open Islamabad's Aabpara road for traffic

Published October 16, 2018
A view of the SC building. — File
A view of the SC building. — File

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday gave the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) another four weeks to reopen the Shahra-i-Suharwardy at Aabpara junction.

The ISI had closed the main artery in 2008 after terrorist attacks on several important government buildings. On July 6, the court had ordered for the road blocks to be removed within two months.

“Make a bombproof wall or shift the headquarters elsewhere,” the CJP had observed at the time.

The court has already issued directions to remove encroachments from all roads of the capital city. The court has said it has to ensure supremacy of the law at all cost.

"We had called the director general of ISI to court in the previous hearing," said Chief Justice Saqib Nisar who was heading the bench hearing the case today.

He added: "We already gave you two months' time to do this; why has the road not been opened yet?"

Members of the defence department told the court that most of the road has been cleared but it has not been opened for traffic.

"What good is an empty road for the people if it cannot be used," the chief justice remarked.

"The transfer of devices is taking a long time," Director Law Branch Ministry of Defence Brigadier Falak Naz told the court.

After enquiring how much more time the ISI would take to open the road, the court gave a four-week extension.

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...