Attock Bridge, M-14, Hazara highway and other important arteries cleared for traffic movement
PESHAWAR:
Following the Peshawar High Court’s (PHC) orders to restore public highways to all types of traffic, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police and administration quickly mobilized to launch a large-scale operation to open blocked roads across the province on Tuesday.
Several major routes, including the Attock Bridge, M-14, Hazara Motorway and key roads in Dera Ismail Khan, were reopened and protesters were dispersed as the roads were cleared.
KP’s Inspector General of Police (IG) issued immediate instructions to regional and district police officers to ensure speedy implementation of the court’s directives.
The IG emphasized that the High Court had clearly stated that impeding the public’s right to move was a violation of the Constitution. He directed all officers to comply with the orders of the court and restore the flow of traffic without delay, prioritizing the ease of movement of the citizens.
As part of the operation, barriers blocking the Attock bridge on GT Road, which connects Punjab and KP, were removed and traffic was restored. The roads connecting Dera Ismail Khan to Mianwali and Chashma were also cleared along with the M-14 highway from Dera Ismail Khan to Islamabad, including the CPEC York Toll Plaza.
Additionally, the Hazara highway, including the Havelian and Muslimabad interchanges, was cleared for traffic.
“The primary objective of the operation is to provide citizens with travel convenience, prevent disruption to business and daily activities and assure the public that roadblocks will not be tolerated,” the IG said. He emphasized that the right to movement, as guaranteed by the constitution, would be fully protected and no roadblocks would be allowed in the future.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi apparently expressed disapproval of the IG’s actions, saying it showed he was taking direction from elsewhere.
“In my opinion, the honorable judiciary should look into the matter before issuing any orders. What do people want? Why are they sitting there?”
The PHC had earlier issued a direct order to the IG and the Chief Secretary to immediately open the roads and submit a report to the court by the end of the day, while also cracking down on those taking the law into their own hands.
The court expressed strong disapproval of the forced closure of the highway and GT Road by PTI workers protesting the health problems of party founder Imran Khan.
A written order, consisting of two pages, was issued by the court and during the hearing, Judge Ijaz Anwar expressed anguish and said, “The entire province is cut off from the country. What has the administration done? How many people have been charged so far? While the province is suffering from terrorism, the roads are blocked. Is it appropriate to protest under such circumstances? distress for the people of the province.”
The hearing was conducted by a two-member PHC bench comprising Justice Anwar and Justice Farah Jameela. The petitioners, including Subhiya Shahid, Yusuf Ali and Shaoor Wardag, informed the court that PTI workers had blocked the expressway and GT Road. Protesters had blocked the highway at Anbar Interchange and GT Road near Attock Bridge for the past five days, causing severe inconvenience to the public and disrupting the movement of citizens.
The petitioners argued that the right to freedom of movement is guaranteed under Article 15 of the Constitution. Despite that, the local administration, the National Highways Authority and other authorities had turned a blind eye to the road closures.
Justice Anwar asked the KP Advocate General to clarify how many people had faced legal action for blocking the roads. The Advocate General asked for more time to collect the data.
However, Justice Anwar insisted there was no need to give details of previous cases, stressing the urgency of the matter. “The roads are closed and it has been several days now. What has the provincial government done so far? How many cases have been registered against the protesters?” he asked.
Citizens suffer as PTI blocks roads
PTI workers and supporters had blocked major highways and expressways across KP in protest against the alleged denial of access to jailed party founder Imran Khan, including meetings with his family, lawyers, sisters and personal doctors.
The demonstrations had severely disrupted traffic and isolated the province from Punjab and other regions.
Long queues of vehicles were formed on the Peshawar-Islamabad highway near the Sabzi Mandi interchange, as well as on key routes such as Dera Ismail Khan-Bhakkar Road, Lakki Marwat-Mianwali Road, Hazara Motorway, Abbottabad-Havelian Interchange and Kohat-Pindi Road.
Commuters, including women, children and patients, are stranded for hours and face acute hardships amid the blockades. Residents expressed widespread frustration and anger, with many questioning why the province’s population, which overwhelmingly voted for the PTI, is bearing the brunt of the protests.
“People voted for PTI in this province, so why are ordinary citizens being punished like this?” remarked a stranded traveler. Critics argued that if protests were necessary, they should target Islamabad or other federal territories rather than disrupt provincial life.
