THE practice of highway blockade in the name of ‘security’ is causing a lot of problems for daily commuters on Islamabad Expressway linking the capital with Rawalpindi. In the absence of a ring road, the traffic situation in the twin cities has worsened over the last decade. Even under routine flow, traffic moves at a snail’s pace due to poor interchange design, especially at Faizabad. The misery is compounded when heavy trucks and trailers are also let loose at 10am.

Under these conditions, the practice of route blockade in the name of security makes the situation worse, especially for those in the ambulances needing emer-gency medical treatment. I recently saw an ambulance stuck for over 40 minutes at Koral Interchange. Such practices might lead to the loss of precious lives.

The law enforcers and the state apparatus need to take serious cognizance of this practice, and devise better ways of providing security to the so-called VIPs.

Brig (retd) Raashid Wali Janjua
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2025