PESHAWAR: The continuous closure of major highways in Peshawar created a land transport barrier that connects the city to other urban areas. This situation created concerns among residents about essential food supply shortages, which will occur before Ramzan.
The closed motorway and GT Road brought a fifth day of shutdown which obstructed goods delivery to the city. The delivery system for vegetables, fruits and essential daily goods experienced delays which led to public worries about potential food shortages at local shops.
The city experienced transport and trade system breakdowns because the closures created partial access restrictions to other districts and provinces.
Land routes that connect to different areas of Pakistan have become blocked which creates travel difficulties for people who need to reach their destinations. The journey from Peshawar to Rawalpindi now requires approximately nine hours to complete while the trip to Lahore needs about 22 hours to finish.
The disruption has also affected passengers. Residents who needed to travel used Pakistan Railways because all roads remained closed. All three trains that operate between Peshawar and Rawalpindi reached full capacity, leading to additional problems for people who needed to travel.
The sources reported that Peshawar lost its ability to connect with other provincial regions, resulting in decreased business operations and market instability. Traders have urged authorities to restore traffic flow as soon as possible to prevent further economic losses and supply shortages.
Police reopen all KP highways enforcing PHC order, PTI protest ends
Meanwhile, the district administration and police have fully restored traffic on various highways in compliance with the orders of the Peshawar High Court. The court mandated the immediate reopening of public highways for all types of traffic, stating that obstructing the right to movement is a violation of the Constitution.
Obstacles on the Attock Bridge GT Road, a critical route linking Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been removed, leading to the normalisation of traffic. Additionally, the roads connecting Dera Ismail Khan with Mianwali and Chashma have been cleared, and the Dera Ismail Khan-Islamabad Motorway M-14 CPEC York Toll Plaza is now open.
Following the directions of Inspector General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Zulfiqar Hameed, and Regional Police Officer, Nasir Mahmood Satti, both Abbottabad Police and Traffic Police have opened the Hazara Motorway and Kohala Road to all types of traffic.
DIG Hazara Nasir Mahmood Satti stated that Hazara Police is committed to providing safe and efficient travel facilities for the public. He has instructed SSP Traffic Muhammad Ishtiaq and SP Havelian Jamil-ur-Rehman to be present on-site and to ensure a smooth traffic flow on the Hazara Motorway, Kohala Road, and Shahrah-e-Resham. Police officials are ensuring full compliance with the court orders to promptly alleviate travel difficulties faced by citizens.
