Roads to Islamabad Closed Ahead of PTI Long March on Sept 27

Travelling to and from Islamabad has become very difficult this week. Authorities have closed major motorways and highways leading into the capital ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march planned for Saturday, September 27. In its latest travel advisory on Thursday, the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) said the closures were due to the "law-and-order situation".

The closures have cut some of the busiest road links between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), northern Punjab and the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Buses, goods trucks and private cars have been caught in long queues. Many travellers have had to take long detours, and some have been forced to walk.

Which Roads Are Closed

According to the NHMP advisory, the M-1 Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway is closed in both directions between Swabi and the Islamabad Toll Plaza. Traffic heading south is being sent off the motorway at the Swabi Interchange. The E-35 Hazara Motorway is also shut in both directions between Jharikas and Burhan.

The whole Hakla to Yarik section of the M-14, the CPEC motorway towards Dera Ismail Khan, is affected in both directions. On the M-2 North, heavy vehicles cannot travel towards Islamabad between Kot Momin and the capital. The N-5 Grand Trunk Road has restrictions in both directions at Attock Khurd, and the advisory listed local diversions for drivers.

Police had first announced on Wednesday, September 23, that these roads would stay closed until further orders. Other reports say the Rawalpindi to Kohat road has been closed at Khushal Garh as well.

Not every road is shut. The NHMP said the M-5 and the southern part of the N-5 were open, with clear road and weather conditions. Some lanes on the M-2, M-3 and M-4 were closed, but for separate road repair work.

Containers, Long Queues and People on Foot

People in Haripur, Taxila, Attock, Hassan Abdal and Rawalpindi have faced the worst trouble. Reports from Haripur said shipping containers were placed on roads going towards Taxila, Hassan Abdal, Attock, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The main road from Haripur through Hattar to Taxila was also blocked, and long lines of vehicles were seen near Jharikas and Hassan Abdal.

Al Jazeera, citing Dawn, reported that about 2,000 shipping containers had been placed around the capital and at Attock Bridge, a key crossing between KP and Punjab. Samaa TV reported that thousands of travellers were stranded after the bridge was blocked from both sides. Women, children, elderly people and people with disabilities were among those who had to cross on foot.

Goods transport is also hit. Trucks carrying food, fuel and other supplies between Peshawar, Islamabad and Lahore use these same roads. No official figure has been released yet on how much business has been lost.

Heavy Security in the Twin Cities

The Ministry of Interior has approved the deployment of Pakistan Rangers in Islamabad and several Punjab districts from September 20 to October 5. The Punjab government asked for Rangers in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum and Mianwali to help the local police. The official notification says Rangers may act in self-defence if they face threats or violence.

Section 144 is in force in Islamabad and across Punjab, banning public gatherings. In Punjab, gatherings of five or more people in public places are banned until October 5. The Islamabad administration has warned that breaking the Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act 2024 can bring a punishment of three years in prison.

The Express Tribune reported that Islamabad police have arranged 110,000 tear gas shells and more than 200,000 soil bags. Dawn reported that nearly 30,000 security personnel have been posted in Attock district. The Punjab government has also asked for mobile internet to be slowed or suspended at some places in Rawalpindi and Attock on the day of the march.

Government and PTI Tell Different Stories

Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Thursday that no road had been closed and that all 125 routes into Islamabad were open until noon. He said a WhatsApp status shown by a reporter was old. However, a fact check by The Express Tribune found that the M-1, M-14 and GT Road were still closed, and it called the minister's claim false.

Chaudhry said the federal and provincial governments would follow court orders and the law to protect lives and property. He added that attackers would not be allowed to strike the capital.

PTI says the closures are an attempt to stop its supporters from reaching Islamabad. The party says the march is meant to win the release of its founder, former prime minister Imran Khan. Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and is held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The march was announced after PTI observed a "black day" to mark three years of his imprisonment.

PTI Claims Raids and Arrests

PTI has alleged a wide crackdown on its leaders before the march. In Mandi Bahauddin, the party said police and people in plain clothes raided the home of district senior vice president Faisal Imran Gondal. It said doors, windows, furniture, water motors and Imran Khan billboards were damaged. PTI also said the hujra of former party leader Murad Saeed was vandalised and that his family was being harassed.

Speaking in Lahore on Wednesday, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan claimed that four members of Imran Khan's family and eight PTI members of the National Assembly were under arrest. He said some KP ministers were missing and that the province was being run like it was under Governor's Rule, even though no such order has been issued. Gohar called for disputes to be settled through political talks.

News website Nukta reported that Khan's sisters Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi were detained for 30 days under public order law and moved to Kot Lakhpat Jail, and that their lawyers have challenged this in the Lahore High Court. Many of PTI's claims have not been independently confirmed. When asked about a video of a KP minister being taken away by police, Chaudhry blamed the KP government for failing to protect its own minister.

What It Means for Ordinary People

This is not the first time Islamabad has been sealed off. In November 2024, a PTI protest led to days of closed roads, clashes near D-Chowk and thousands of arrests. Containers and internet shutdowns were also used during PTI marches in 2022.

Officials have not said when the roads will open again. Students, patients going to hospitals in the twin cities, drivers and daily wage workers are among those who suffer most when highways stay shut. The farmers' group Kissan Ittehad has also announced its own march on Islamabad in the coming days.

The NHMP has asked all travellers to check the latest official advisory before starting any journey. People can call the motorway police helpline 130 for up to date road information.