PESHAWAR, Pakistan: Activists of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan’s opposition political party, have blocked major highways across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since February 13, leaving the province largely cut off from the rest of the country.
The blockades continued into Sunday and Monday, marking a fourth consecutive day of disruptions, according to passengers and traders in several affected areas.
PTI activists blocked key entry and exit points, including the Peshawar–Islamabad Motorway at Swabi’s Anbar Interchange and sections of the Grand Trunk Road at Khairabad Bridge, officials said.
Other affected routes included the Dera Ismail Khan–Bhakkar Road, Lakki Marwat–Mianwali Road, the Hazara Motorway at the Abbottabad–Havelian Interchange, the Kohat–Rawalpindi Road near Khushal Garh, and parts of the Karakoram Highway in Upper Kohistan and Mansehra districts.
Officials said that PTI activists in several locations did not allow vehicles to enter or exit the province, stranding passengers and trade goods and halting freight traffic bound for Islamabad and other cities.
Humanitarian impact
Authorities said that people are facing severe hardships as thousands of commuters, including patients, women, and children, were left stranded on highways.
Local media reported at least one medical emergency during the road blockades, including the death of a woman in an ambulance near Swabi after delays caused by road closures.
With the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaching, residents said access to food supplies and transport had become more difficult due to the consecutive roads blockade by activists of PTI.
“People are suffering,” said a trader in Peshawar, who declined to be named. “Trucks carrying essential goods are stuck. Small businesses are losing income every day.”
Widespread but uneven disruptions
The roads blockade has continued since February 13 in Swabi, Charsadda, Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Toormang and Mansehra.
In Swabi, around 100 PTI activists blocked traffic at a motorway rest area since February 13, officials said, adding that minor clashes were reported between PTI activists and passengers and traders.
In Dera Ismail Khan and adjacent areas, small groups of PTI activists blocked roads at multiple junctions on February 14 and February 15. Some closures lasted several hours, while others were lifted and then reimposed, according to local residents.
In parts of Dera Ghazi Khan district, PTI activists briefly blocked roads and installed large screens to broadcast their activities, officials said.
On the Karakoram Highway in Mansehra’s Shinkiari area, traffic was disrupted for less than an hour on February 15 before being restored, police said.
While most blockades were short-term, some locations, including parts of Dera Ismail Khan and Toormang, saw closures lasting more than 24 hours, according to local authorities.
Economic fallout
Business groups and traders warned that prolonged disruptions could trigger shortages and price increases in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which relies heavily on supplies transported from Punjab province.
Flour, rice and pulses shipments have been delayed, traders said. Daily wage earners and small shopkeepers have been among the hardest hit.
Residents said they had previously supported PTI; however, they questioned the impact of the continued roads blocakde.
“They are hurting ordinary citizens more than anyone else,” said a resident of Abbottabad, declining to be named. “The burden is falling on the public.”
