Key Takeaways
- Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway will be closed to all traffic from 11pm on Wednesday.
- This closure is in response to a planned long march by PTI to release Imran Khan.
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned against the protest and urged PTI to reconsider.
The Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway (M-1) will be closed to all types of traffic from 11pm on Wednesday, according to an advisory issued by Islamabad police.
The advisory, posted on the social media platform X, advises travellers from Islamabad and Rawalpindi, as well as other areas, to avoid using the M-1 and postpone non-essential travel.
The M-2 Motorway between Lahore and Islamabad will remain open to all types of traffic, and motorists are urged to take this information into consideration when planning their journeys.
The closure comes amid a planned long march to Islamabad by the Pakistan Tehreek Insaf (PTI) for the release of party founder Imran Khan, scheduled for September 27 (Sunday).
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned the PTI against the protest, urging the party to refrain from proceeding with the march.
Naqvi stated, '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.'
The interior minister vowed the government will not 'leave any loopholes' in its response if the party went ahead with the protest.
On Monday, the interior minister had 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.
Meanwhile, the Jamaat-i-Islami, which had also announced a long march to Islamabad against the petroleum levy, said on Tuesday it was postponing the march at the request of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, pending a meeting with him.
