K-P reopens major roads after PHC order

PTI protesters dispersed; traffic restored on motorways, highways following directive

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government informed the Peshawar High Court (PHC) that all motorways and major highways blocked due to protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers have now been cleared and reopened for traffic.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel submitted a report to the court, stating that traffic is flowing smoothly across the province. Protesters have been removed from roads, and all routes are open to vehicular movement.

The hearing took place before a two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Farah Jamshed on petitions challenging the road blockages caused by PTI sit-ins. Appearing before the court were Advocate General Shah Faisal Utmankhel, Additional Attorney General Sanaullah, Additional Advocate General Muhammad Inam Yusufzai, and counsels for the petitioners including Tariq Afghan, Barrister Hudaifa Ahmed, Intikhab Chamkani, Shahid Ali Yaftai, Barrister Yasin Reza, along with petitioners Subia Shahid, Yusuf Khan, Shaur Wardag, and Muhammad Bilal.

The Advocate General informed the bench that reports from all regions had been received and placed on record. He added that the Inspector General of Police had issued instructions the previous day to all officers to clear the roads, resulting in all routes being reopened.

Justice Ijaz Anwar remarked that the roads had not been fully cleared until late the previous night. Petitioners' counsel Tariq Afghan stated that the Swabi motorway had also been reopened, confirming that all routes were now accessible. However, he highlighted that during the closures, patients had tragically passed away en-route, yet no FIRs had been registered against those responsible.

In response, Justice Ijaz Anwar noted that no such case had come before the court yet, but any matter brought forward would be examined in accordance with the law.

Petitioners' counsel urged the court to issue directions preventing future road blockages during protests, so citizens would not have to approach the courts repeatedly. Justice Ijaz Anwar observed that K-P suffers from the worst traffic situation in Pakistan, where any protest leads to the complete shutdown of cities.