M-1, M-14 motorways traffic update amid PTI protests
2026-02-17 - 06:46
PESHAWAR – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists have been protesting since last week as they have blocked the M-1 and M-14 motorways leaving commuters and transporters in a difficult situation. The protesters are demanding early treatment to PTI founder Imran Khan, who has been in jail for more than two years. The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) have announced that the Peshawar-Islamabad (M-1) motorway is fully closed in both directions between Sawabi and Burhan interchanges, with Mardan-Rashkai Interchange also shut, according to reports. Additionally, the M-14 motorway, which forms part of the western CPEC route, is blocked from Yarik Interchange near Dera Ismail Khan to the CPEC Interchange at Isa Khel. The situation has put massive pressure on Grand Trunk (GT) Road as all commuters are forced to use alternative routes due to closure of motorways. Case Filed Against 55 People Including Seven PTI MPs Islamabad police have registered a case against 55 individuals, including seven PTI lawmakers, for protesting in the Red Zone and allegedly threatening police officers with serious harm. The case, filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act at the Secretariat Police Station, accuses the protesters of issuing life-threatening warnings to law enforcement during a demonstration on February 15 in front of the Parliament Lodges and Parliament House. Police reports indicated that around 50–55 protesters, some armed with sticks, firearms, and other items, participated in the protest. Four individuals have been arrested in connection with the protest and presented before an Anti-Terrorism Court, which has granted a five-day physical remand. In the midst of the unrest, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi asserted that former Prime Minister Imran Khan has both constitutional and legal rights to medical treatment under the supervision of his personal doctors, with his family present, in top medical facilities. He stressed that Khan, as a former prime minister, is not just any prisoner.