PTI protests disrupt KP, Punjab communication

PESHAWAR: The ongoing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protests at D-Chowk in Islamabad severed communication between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the second consecutive day.

Authorities have placed containers at the Attock-Khairabad bridge, closing the road and creating significant challenges for the public, particularly for patients.

Long queues of vehicles, including trucks carrying perishable goods and livestock, have formed, leaving transporters and passengers stranded overnight. The Grand Trunk (GT) Road has been blocked at multiple points, prompting auto-rickshaw and wagon drivers to charge inflated fares.

Following directives from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, the protests have disrupted traffic on the Peshawar-Islamabad motorway and various sections of GT Road, impacting land communication between the two provinces.

Passengers, patients, and commercial vehicle owners are facing unprecedented obstacles, with some unable to even use motorcycles. Perishable goods are deteriorating, leading to millions of rupees in losses, while the lives of livestock in trucks are also at risk. Patients are endangered, and many people are forced to walk several miles to reach their destinations.