Containers block Peshawar roads following provincial emergency

Road access to government buildings and several commercial areas in Peshawar was restricted after an emergency was imposed in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on October 11.

Dawn reported that containers near the railway station blocked routes to Khyber and Shoba bazaars. Other barriers near Edwardes College, Bala Hisar Fort and the Pakistan International Airlines office closed approaches to several roads and a flyover.

The closure of the main Khyber Road diverted traffic onto surrounding routes and caused congestion. Royal Artillery Bazaar was closed, while Saddar remained partly open. Only official vehicles could travel from Governor House towards the Chief Minister's House.

Police numbers in the city were increased with personnel brought in from other districts. Security was particularly heavy around Governor House.

In Islamabad, the opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-Ayin-i-Pakistan also changed the venue of a planned press conference. Spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmed Yousafzai told Dawn that KP House had been sealed and the National Press Club had refused to host the event. The alliance chose a venue near Bhara Kahu.

According to the President House, the emergency and governor's rule were approved under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution following federal cabinet recommendations. The decision came amid disagreements between the federal authorities and the province's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government over counterterrorism policy. Talks between the sides broke down on October 3.