Intercity transport services in Lahore were suspended, leaving passengers travelling to Islamabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, southern Punjab and other parts of central Punjab facing difficulties. Several travellers said their tickets had been cancelled following the suspension of transport operations.
Major private bus operators, including Faisal Movers and Daewoo, also halted services amid reports of restrictions on public transport movement along motorways and national highways.
Representatives of both companies confirmed that their services had been suspended and buses were not being dispatched due to the reported restrictions.
However, motorway police spokesperson Imran Shah said motorways and highways remained open to traffic, adding that he was unaware of any instructions to suspend bus services.
Another motorway police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said buses were not operating on motorways or highways in view of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest call. He added that people travelling in private vehicles could still use the roads.
Punjab Transport Department Secretary Imran Sikandar Baloch could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him by phone.
The development comes as the PTI launched its march on October 4 despite warnings from the federal government. The protest, aimed at securing the release of party founder Imran Khan, has so far remained within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party is in power.
A day earlier, containers were moved to Swabi Interchange, where the PTI had called on its supporters to assemble, as well as to the Indus River bridge on the M-1 Motorway, in an apparent effort to block the march.
Despite these measures, the motorway and the Grand Trunk Road remained open to traffic.
