Twin cities roadblocks are being cleared as authorities accelerate the removal of hundreds of shipping containers and barricades from key roads across Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and have begun withdrawing thousands of additional police personnel in phases as the law and order situation improves.
Twin cities roadblocks cleared at 26 points
Containers had been positioned at 26 locations along major routes, including GT Road, the motorway, Margalla Avenue and Airport Road, to deal with potential protests and prevent any deterioration in law and order.
The Rawalpindi and Islamabad administrations deployed the containers as a precaution after the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami announced protest marches. They were placed along roadsides and adjoining locations rather than directly across carriageways, so they could be moved into position at short notice.
Key locations included Rawat T-Chowk, GT Road, Mall Road, Peshawar Road, Murree Road, motorway entry and exit points, Margalla Avenue, Airport Road and Faizabad Interchange. Some had stood for about two weeks; the containers near Faizabad Interchange had been in place for nearly three weeks.
Removals have already been completed at Rawat T-Chowk, Mall Road, Peshawar Road and areas around Murree Road. The process has also begun at Faizabad Interchange, the major traffic hub connecting the twin cities that thousands of commuters, employees, students, passengers and freight vehicles use daily.
Heavy machinery and transport vehicles are lifting the containers and returning them to the companies they were hired from. Traffic is flowing on major roads, with residents travelling as usual.
Police pullback in three phases
Alongside the container removal, authorities have decided to withdraw additional police personnel deployed in Attock, Mianwali and Rawalpindi in phases.
More than 29,000 additional personnel had been deployed in Attock, around 22,000 in Islamabad and over 5,000 in Rawalpindi to assist district police in maintaining order during the PTI’s planned long march and sit-in.
The withdrawal, expected to begin on Monday evening, will proceed in three phases. The schedule is being finalised in consultation with regional, city and district police officers. Before the pullback, officials must complete records of deployed officers, vehicles and equipment, and maintain security and operational readiness until the process ends.
One force is staying put: the specialised Riot Management Force, trained to handle unrest, will remain deployed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi until further orders — a sign the authorities are normalising gradually rather than all at once.
Relief for commuters and traders
Residents, transporters and business representatives have welcomed the move. The prolonged presence of containers along major roads had created uncertainty and raised fears of sudden closures, especially among people travelling daily between Rawalpindi and Islamabad for work, business and education.
Transporters said the threat of abrupt road closures had endangered passenger services and freight movement.
The blockades were part of the security landscape built up around the PTI’s protest campaign, which Feature Pakistan tracked as the convoy moved through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa — including its route change towards Khyber — while the government refused to yield to pressure to call off the march. The container pile-up even choked freight at Karachi port at the height of the standoff.
With the K-P emergency and governor’s rule now in force, the street confrontation the containers were meant to contain has ebbed — and the cranes are taking them away.
FAQs
Where are containers being removed?
From 26 locations including GT Road, the motorway, Margalla Avenue, Airport Road, Rawat T-Chowk, Mall Road, Peshawar Road, Murree Road and Faizabad Interchange.
Why were the containers placed?
As a precaution after the PTI and Jamaat-i-Islami announced protest marches, to prevent any deterioration in law and order.
How many extra police were deployed?
Over 29,000 in Attock, around 22,000 in Islamabad and more than 5,000 in Rawalpindi.
Is all extra security being withdrawn?
No. Additional personnel are leaving in three phases, but the specialised Riot Management Force stays deployed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi until further orders.
Why is this happening now?
Authorities cite an improvement in the law and order situation, including after the imposition of emergency measures and governor’s rule in K-P.
