RAWALPINDI: Thick fog gripped the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Tuesday, disrupting several domestic and international flights, train services and road transport.

“The general visibility was 50 meters in twin cities from 5am to 9am.

The fog started in the twin cities in the wee hours of Tuesday. At 12 midnight, the fog was recorded at 700 meters in Islamabad International Airport, while it reduced to 100 meters by 4am, and the visibility was 50 meters from 5am to 9am,” said the met official.

“Fog will again grip the twin cities on Wednesday morning also,” he said and added that the minimum temperature was recorded at one degree Celsius in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on Tuesday. There was chaos at the airport, Railway Station and on the roads in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

The city traffic moved at a snail’s pace on the roads as the visibility did not improve till 10am. The school children and office goers faced difficulties while going to their destinations.

“It was difficult to drive on the road while going to drop my children off at school at Bahria Town Phase-7 early in the morning. I was not able to see 20 meters ahead due to thick white fog at Soan bridge between DHA and Bahria Town,” said Faisal Sheikh, a resident of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase-I.

Muhammad Faraz, a resident of Chaklala Scheme-III, said that the traffic was moving at a snail’s pace on the road near Ayub Park as everyone was driving very slowly with caution. The airport officials said that the runway visibility was too low in the early hours and would disrupt the flight schedule.

“The fog all around Punjab has badly affected trains. Around 10 trains have been late by four to five hours or more,” said an official of Pakistan Railway at Rawalpindi Railway Station.

The worst affected trains are: Awami Express, Pakistan Express, Karachi Express, Taizgam and night coaches.

The spokesman of the motorway police said that the motorways I, II and III were opened in the afternoon. He stated that the Motorway police deputed a special squad at some spots for the safety of commuters.

He stated that the police were getting phone numbers of the motorway users in order to provide them latest information about weather conditions during their journey on the motorway.

Meanwhile, the temporary closure of motorways during foggy weather was not intended to inconvenience the public, but rather to prevent accidents and to safeguard the lives and property of motorway users.

It was stated by the Inspector General of the National Highways and Motorway Police, Sultan Ahmed Chaudhry, during his visit to the Motorway (M-1) and Swat Expressway, the police spokesman said in a press release on Tuesday.

On this occasion, the DIG Headquarters and the DIG Motorway North Zone were also accompanying him. During the visit, the IG was given a detailed briefing at the Sector Office Swabi regarding the overall situation of the Motorway (M-1) and Swat Expressway, traffic flow, safety measures, and arrangements made in view of prevailing weather conditions.

The briefing also covered the safety Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) adopted during foggy conditions and low visibility. On the occasion, IG issued directives to the officers, emphasising that all possible facilities should be provided to commuters travelling on national highways and motorways, and that timely assistance must be ensured in any emergency situation.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2026