Fact check: Major roads including M1 and GT road leading to Islamabad are still closed ahead of PTI march

Claim by State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry that all 125 roads to Islamabad are open to the public is false

In a press conference on Sep 24, 2026, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry claimed that all 125 roads to Islamabad were open to the public. However, several major arteries to the federal capital are still closed.

The PTI had announced a long march towards Islamabad for September 27. The announcement came after the PTI observed a nationwide “black day” to mark three years of party founder Imran Khan’s imprisonment, demanding his immediate release and that of his wife, Bushra Bibi, restoration of what it termed constitutional rule and democracy, and relief from inflation.

As PTI gears up for Sept 27 protest in the federal capital, the Islamabad administration on Sep 23 reminded citizens that Section 144 was in force for two months, barring gatherings, rallies and demonstrations, and urged them to stay away from illegal activities and cooperate with security institutions.

The government has since set up impediments, cracked down on the party’s supporters and brought in containers as well.

How it started

On Sept 24, Chaudhry claimed in a press conference that all 125 roads to Islamabad were open to the public.

Chaudhry said: “You must have seen some WhatsApp status update, not the original situation. No road is closed. None are closed. No road was closed until this afternoon”

He further added, “Not a single road was closed. Until 12pm this afternoon, no road was closed, and as for the coming routes, 125 routes lead to Islamabad — how many? 125. All 125 routes are open.”

However, reporters in the room challenged his claims, citing conflicting ground realities and official notifications regarding motorway closures. Despite repeated questions about the disruptions and restrictions in place, Chaudhry dismissed the objections and rejected the reporters’ assertions about the blocked routes.

Methodology

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to keen public interest in the traffic situation and any roadblocks towards Islamabad due to the PTI’s long march.

A keyword search conducted to ascertain the road and traffic conditions of the capital yielded a news report from Dawn, dated September 23, 2026, with the following headline, “KP motorways, GT Road ‘closed indefinitely’”.

As per the news report, the government closed the Islamabad-Peshawar Motor­way (M1), the Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway (M14) — also known as the CPEC road — and GT Road (N5) for an indefinite period from Sept 23 to stop the PTI protesters from reaching the federal capital on Sept 27. A spokesperson for the Nati­onal Highways and Moto­rway Police (NHMP) shared the closure would come into effect from Wednesday night.

Al Jazeera also reported the same on Sept 23 with the following headline, “Pakistan seals roads to Islamabad before protests for Imran Khan’s release”.

According to the report, police in Islamabad announced on Wednesday that the Islamabad-Peshawar Motorway, the Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway, and the Grand Trunk Road would be closed at several points from the evening onwards. The public was advised to plan their travel accordingly.

Ary News also reported that the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) had announced the closure of the M-1 Peshawar Motorway, M-14 CPEC route, Hazara Motorway and sections of the GT Road and other key routes from 11pm on Wednesday until further notice.

Traffic Advisory – Road Closures from 23 Sep 2026, 2300 hrs

M-1 (Peshawar Motorway), M-14 (CPEC), Hazara Motorway (E-35), GT Road (N-5), and connecting roads (Rawalpindi–Kohat, Abbottabad–Hassanabdal) are being closed from various points. Please plan travel accordingly and use… pic.twitter.com/3j5vYQddVr

— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) September 23, 2026

The official page of the Islamabad Police on X also shared a traffic advisory on Sept 22, 2026, which read, “Peshawar Motorway (M-1) will remain closed to all types of traffic from 11pm tonight until further orders on September 23, 2026. Avoid travelling on Peshawar Motorway (M-1) from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, including other districts, and postpone non-essential travel.”

It continued, “In contrast, M-2 (Lahore/Islamabad) Motorway will remain open for all types of traffic. Travellers are advised to plan their journey in accordance with the traffic advisory and ensure compliance with the instructions of the traffic police.”

اہم ٹریفک ایڈوائزری

پشاور موٹروے (M-1) کل 23 ستمبر 2026 رات 11 بجے تاحکم ثانی ہر قسم کی ٹریفک کے لیے بند رہے گی۔

جڑواں شہروں اسلام آباد و راولپنڈی سمیت دیگر اضلاع سے پشاور موٹروے (M-1) پر سفر کرنے سے گریز کریں اور غیر ضروری سفر مؤخر کریں۔

اس کے برعکس ایم 2 ( لاہور/اسلام آباد)…

— Islamabad Police (@ICT_Police) September 22, 2026

A further keyword search led to the official website of the National Highway and Motorway Police, which showed that several sectors in the Motorway North Zone Sector M1 (Peshawar to Islamabad Motorway) and N-5 North Zone Sector North-I (GT Road Peshawar to Islamabad) were either closed or diverted due to the law and order situation.

Express News correspondent Naeem Asghar told iVerify Pakistan that he was present in the press conference when the reporters had asked the minister about the road situation. He added that they had further pressed Chaudhry on the status of the roads later on, but the state minister avoided answering them and departed without responding.

Moreover, even after Chaudhry’s claim that all 125 roads to Islamabad were open to the public, several media outlets such as Express News, Hum News, and Aaj News continued to report that the M1 motorway and some routes were still closed.

A news report from international wire agency AFP titled, “Pakistan blocks roads around capital ahead of planned pro-Khan protest”, said that authorities blocked main access routes to Islamabad with double-stacked shipping containers today.

“Key highways, entry points, and major intersections were obstructed, completely severing transport links and bringing movement to a virtual standstill,” it said.

The outlet reported that its journalists saw the toll plaza for the Islamabad-Peshawar highway on the capital’s outskirts “completely cut off” in the afternoon, with barriers and containers blocking the major road.

It also provided pictures of the traffic diversions and road closures on the Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway.

A police officer diverts traffic on the Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway blocked with trucks placed by authorities in Islamabad on September 24, 2026 ahead of PTI protest demanding the release of founder Imran Khan.

A general view shows the Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway blocked with trucks placed by authorities in Islamabad on September 24, 2026, ahead of PTI protest demanding the release of founder Imran Khan.

The Express Tribune also reported the same.

Fact-check status: false

The claim by the state minister for interior that all 125 roads to Islamabad were open to the public is false.

Major roads such as M1, M14 and N5 (GT road) are still closed to traffic.

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This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.