The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) has closed six major motorways in Pakistan, including the Islamabad to Lahore (M-1) and Islamabad to Peshawar (M-2) routes, starting from 8:00 PM on November 22.
The closure is reportedly due to road maintenance, and the affected motorways include Islamabad to Peshawar (M-1), Islamabad to Lahore (M-2), Lahore to Abdul Hakeem (M-3), Pindi Bhattian to Multan (M-4), Hakla to Yarik (M-14), and Lahore to Sialkot (M-11) .
The NHMP has advised travelers to avoid unnecessary journeys to minimize inconvenience. This development comes ahead of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned nationwide protests and march towards Islamabad on November 24.
The PTI is protesting against alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections, the detention of party workers, and the contentious 26th Constitutional Amendment.
In light of the protests, the government has tightened security measures, including the deployment of over 9,000 Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Islamabad and over 10,000 in Punjab Province .
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code has also been imposed in Islamabad, temporarily prohibiting unauthorized public gatherings.
