ISLAMABAD: Even though the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has called off its protests that brought life in Rawalpindi to a standstill, the entry points of M-1 (Islamabad-Peshawar) and M-2 (Islamabad-Lahore) motorways remained blocked due to the demonstrations on Thursday night.

The capital police said entry points of M-1 and M-2 were blocked by the PTI supporters, who were protesting the assassination attempt on party chief Imran Khan.

They added that M-1 could be accessed from the Fateh Jang interchange and M-2 from the Thalian interchange.

According to the police, the blockade of the two main arteries had resulted in traffic jams at the entry points to the motorways.

The officials added that alternative routes and diversions were in place, but a large number of vehicles, including goods trucks, were stuck due to an increase in traffic load on these routes with people suffering on the roads for hours.

The motorways were blocked by PTI supporters on Nov 7, which prompted the capital police to send contingents to the Motorway Chowk to ensure smooth flow of traffic. The police were deployed near the motorways’ entry points to maintain law and order, however, the protesters blocked them at locations falling in Punjab.

Last week, the capital police asked the federal government to extend their executive authority and jurisdiction to the Islamabad airport and motorways to maintain law and order and exercise their legal mandate during the prevailing situation due to the protests.

Published in Dawn, November 11th, 2022