M-1 Motorway and GT Road Reopen Between Islamabad and Peshawar

The M-1 motorway between Islamabad and Peshawar is open again. When we read the Motorway Police travel board at 12:34 pm PKT on Monday 28 September 2026, it showed no closure on the M-1 at all, only cloudy weather from Peshawar to Islamabad. The GT Road from Peshawar to Islamabad was marked "Road & Weather Clear".

The roads had been shut since 23 September ahead of a PTI march on Islamabad. The party has since postponed the march to 4 October, and the authorities began clearing containers and earth-filled barriers over the weekend. The M-1 reopened in the early hours of Monday, according to the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP).

One law and order closure was still listed on the Hazara Motorway, E-35, and part of the M-14 was shut for road work. Details are below, road by road.

The M-1 is open in both directions from Peshawar to Islamabad

The NHMP board for the M-1 showed only "Weather: Cloudy from MTP Peshawar (KM 498) to MTP Islamabad (KM 351)", last updated at 12:07 pm on 28 September. There was no closure and no diversion. On Sunday evening the same section read "Road Closed" from Swabi to Islamabad.

The NHMP spokesperson said the M-1 was open to all types of traffic in both directions, as reported on Monday morning. The board matches that. We did not drive it, so we cannot tell you whether every interchange ramp is back to normal.

One link was still being repaired, according to the same spokesperson: the loop that joins the M-1 to the Hazara Motorway. Traffic for Abbottabad was told to leave the M-1 at Burhan, take the GT Road through Hasan Abdal, and rejoin the Hazara Motorway at Jhari Kas.

The GT Road between Peshawar and Islamabad is clear

The GT Road, or N-5, from Peshawar to Islamabad showed "Road & Weather Clear" on the NHMP board, updated at 9:24 am on 28 September. The Attock Khurd closure that sat on the board on Saturday night had gone.

Barriers at Attock Khurd were cleared late on Saturday night, and traffic has been moving on the N-5 since Sunday morning, according to reports. So the GT Road actually came back a day before the motorway.

Further south, the N-5 from Islamabad to Kharian had one lane closed at Amral Mor for road work and rain near Kharian. Those are routine entries, not security closures.

Part of the M-14 is still shut for repairs

The M-14 from Hakla to Dera Ismail Khan no longer shows a law and order closure. The board listed one closure only: Kot Belian (KM 166) to Isa Khel (KM 209), both directions, "due to Road Work". Everything else from Hakla to Yarik showed cloudy weather.

The NHMP spokesperson said the M-14 had reopened from Hakla to Kot Belian and from Isa Khel to Yarik, with repair work continuing between the two, as reported. That fits the board. If you are driving to Dera Ismail Khan, plan to leave the motorway before Kot Belian until the board clears.

Heavy vehicles can use the M-2 again

On Saturday the board barred heavy traffic from entering the M-2 northbound at Kot Momin. At 12:37 pm on 28 September, the M-2 North section from Islamabad to Kot Momin showed only cloudy weather, with no heavy vehicle restriction listed.

Truckers and goods carriers were among the worst hit by the week of closures. Transport terminals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad were reported to be nearly empty. The M-2 South between Kot Momin and Lahore still carried road work closures at Shadiwal and near Sheikhupura. Those are maintenance entries unrelated to the march.

Drivers returning to the motorway should check their M-Tag balance first, and the charge for each vehicle class is listed in motorway toll rates in Pakistan.

The E-35 still has one security closure near Burhan

The Hazara Motorway, E-35, is the one road that still showed a law and order entry. All three southbound lanes from Jhari Kas (KM 18) to Burhan (KM 0) were listed as closed. That entry was last updated at 8:07 am, before the other sections were refreshed.

So the entry may be out of date, or the southbound stretch into Burhan may still be blocked. We could not tell which from the board alone. Travellers from Abbottabad heading south should call the Motorway Police helpline on 130 before setting off.

Containers inside Islamabad are a separate question. We found no official list of which city points had been cleared by Monday midday. The earlier closures are recorded in the roads closed around Islamabad from 23 September and the Islamabad roads update of 27 September.

Check these things before you travel

The main routes are open, but a reopening reported for Sunday 27 September did not happen until Monday. The march is now due on 4 October, and roads could close again before that date. Here is what to check before a long trip:

1. Open the NHMP travel advisory board and read the "Last updated" time for your section.
2. Call 130, the Motorway Police helpline, if the board shows anything other than weather.
3. Going to Abbottabad, plan the Burhan, Hasan Abdal and Jhari Kas detour.
4. Going to Dera Ismail Khan, plan to leave the M-14 before Kot Belian.
5. For roads inside Islamabad, call the Islamabad Traffic Police helpline on 1915.

Mobile internet has not been officially suspended. The newest release on the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority's press page on 28 September was dated 24 September and said nothing about a shutdown. Section 144 orders banning gatherings stay in force in Islamabad and Punjab, as set out in the Section 144 orders.

Common questions

Is the M-1 motorway open today?

Yes. The NHMP travel board showed the M-1 from Peshawar to Islamabad open with only cloudy weather at 12:34 pm PKT on 28 September 2026.

Is the GT Road open between Islamabad and Peshawar?

Yes. The N-5 from Peshawar to Islamabad showed "Road and Weather Clear" on the NHMP board on 28 September.

Is the M-14 open to Dera Ismail Khan?

Mostly. Kot Belian to Isa Khel was still closed for road work, both ways, on 28 September.

Why were the motorways closed?

The authorities shut them on 23 September ahead of a planned PTI march on Islamabad. The party postponed the march to 4 October.

Could the roads close again?

Possibly. The march is now due on 4 October, and no official body has said what arrangements will apply that day.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

Last checked at 12:34 pm PKT on Monday 28 September 2026. Road status is from the NHMP travel advisory board, with each section's own "last updated" time. The press release list is from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. The M-1 reopening in the early hours, the M-14 repair stretch, the Burhan and Jhari Kas detour and the Attock Khurd clearance are from NHMP spokesperson statements and officials as reported on 28 September. The 4 October march date is as announced by the party and reported. We found no official list of container points cleared inside Islamabad.