Islamabad police on Tuesday issued an advisory stating that the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1) will be closed to all types of traffic from 11pm on September 23 (Wednesday).
“Those travelling from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, and from other areas, should avoid using the M-1 and postpone non-essential travel,” the advisory, posted on the social media platform X, said.
The advisory noted that the M-2 Motorway between Lahore and Islamabad will remain open to all types of traffic, and urged motorists to take this information into consideration when planning their journeys.
The development came amid a planned long march to Islamabad by the PTI for the release of party founder Imran Khan, which is scheduled to take place on Sept 27 (Sunday).
Police have already set up around 2,000 containers around the federal capital and at Attock Bridge, an entry point from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern parts of the country.
On Monday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had warned the PTI against its Sept 27 long march, urging the party to refrain from proceeding with the protest.
“We have clearly told them (PTI) that they can never achieve anything through such drama, and I will say again that there is still time; they should not go into this situation,” Naqvi said during a press briefing, advising the party to “not enter a dead-end street”.
The interior minister vowed the government will not “leave any loopholes” in its response if the party went ahead with the protest.
It should be mentioned that the Jamaat-i-Islami, which had also announced a long march to Islamabad against the petroleum levy, said on Tuesday it was postponing it at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, pending a meeting with him.
