Vehicles move along the Expressway after end of the sit-in. PHOTO: REUTERS
The intersection had been closed after hundreds of supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLYR) occupied it on November 8.
The closure of the Islamabad Highway, used daily by thousands travelling from the garrison city of Rawalpindi into the federal capital, had virtually paralysed Islamabad. Drivers were forced to go hours out of their way on overcrowded, potholed back roads unsuited for heavy traffic.
Commuters were jubilant Tuesday as the main highway into the city reopened. They watched as sanitation workers cleaned up the mess left behind by the protesters.
“Everything clear and moving. Its (sic) good to be back in route,” commuter Nauman Naseer posted on a Facebook traffic updates group.
Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Malik Matloob told APP that all roads in Islamabad had reopened for traffic and not a single road was blocked.
He added that traffic was moving smoothly on all roads in the city, including Faizabad Interchange and Islamabad Expressway, on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for Islamabad Operational Police said that a small number of reserve police force was still deputed along the Faizabad Interchange.
Moreover, all containers had been removed from the roads of Islamabad. A District Administration spokesperson said that all private and government educational institutions are expected to reopen on Wednesday.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2017.
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