PESHAWAR: The police opened all roads across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by Wednesday morning that had been blocked by workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) since Saturday.
Though some PTI workers continued protesting on the roadside in Swabi, all roads, including the motorway, remained open for traffic.“All the roads are open for vehicular traffic in Swabi and other areas,” Regional Police Officer Mardan Rabnawaz Khan told The News.
Roads were also opened in Dera Ismail Khan, Karak, Kohat, Haripur, Nowshera and other areas on the directives of senior police officials.The authorities had been ordered by the Peshawar High Court (PHC) to reopen all roads as their closure was causing inconvenience to tens of thousands of people stranded for a long time.
The PHC, on a writ petition, had summoned the chief secretary and the inspector general of police and directed them to clear the roads as the situation was causing inconvenience to the general public. The police started clearing the roads in phases immediately after the orders.
The roads were reopened at Rashakai Interchange, Chashma Road Paharpur in Dera Ismail Khan, Chashma Road Mianwali (CPEC route) and other places by late Tuesday night. The motorway near Swabi was cleared later as many workers had earlier refused to reopen the road.
KP remained cut off from other parts of the country for almost five consecutive days after PTI workers continued to block major highways at different places.A report from Swabi said, police in Swabi district cleared the Peshawar-Islamabad (M-1) Motorway near the Swabi Interchange rest area, bringing an end to the five-day sit-in staged by PTI.
According to police officials, the protest camp established at the Swabi Interchange was dismantled, and all barricades, tents and other materials placed on the road were removed. As a result, traffic flow on the Peshawar-Islamabad (M-1) Motorway was restored.
Officials said that traffic on the Peshawar-Islamabad (M-1) Motorway had been severely disrupted due to the sit-in, causing inconvenience to commuters.A heavy police contingent was deployed during the operation to prevent any untoward incident.
Law enforcement personnel advanced in phases, eventually clearing the motorway completely and reopening it to traffic.Police authorities stated that, in light of the court’s directives, it was imperative to keep the motorway open at all costs, as its closure had created serious difficulties not only for passengers but also for freight transport.
Following the operation, some PTI workers regrouped near the rest area close to the Swabi Interchange. However, the motorway remains open for traffic.A strong police presence continued in and around the rest area, and the situation was being closely monitored to prevent any renewed blockade.
According to the district administration, the situation in the area is under control and traffic is moving smoothly.Meanwhile, the provincial government informed the PHC that all motorways and major highways across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which had been blocked due to protests by PTI workers, have now been cleared and reopened for traffic.
A report to this effect was submitted before the court by Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel, stating that traffic flow has been fully restored on all major arteries and protesters have been dispersed.
The matter was heard by a two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Farah Jamshed while taking up writ petitions filed against the road blockades caused by PTI sit-ins.
During the hearing, the Advocate General, along with Additional Attorney General Sanaullah and Additional Advocate General Muhammad Inam Yousafzai, appeared before the bench.Petitioners’ counsel, including Tariq Afghan, Barrister Huzaifa Ahmed, Intikhab Chamkani, Shahid Ali Yaftai and Barrister Yasin Raza, as well as petitioners Subia Shahid, Yousaf Khan, Shaoor Wardag and Muhammad Bilal, were also present.
The Advocate General informed the court that reports from all regions had been compiled and placed on record, confirming that all roads, including motorways, are now open following directives issued by the Inspector General of Police to clear the routes.
However, Justice Ijaz Anwar observed that the roads had not been fully cleared until late the previous night.At this point, Tariq Afghan informed the bench that the motorway at Swabi had remained blocked but has since been reopened.
The petitioner added that while all routes are currently accessible, serious consequences had arisen during the closures. He alleged that patients had lost their lives due to blocked roads, yet no FIR had been registered against those responsible.
In response, Justice Ijaz Anwar remarked that no such case had yet come before the court, adding that any such matter would be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law when brought on record.The petitioners’ counsel requested the court to issue directions to prevent the recurrence of such situations.
