Authorities in the Gujranwala and Gujrat regions blocked public transport and goods vehicles from heading toward Islamabad via GT Road on Monday, citing VVIP movement in the federal capital, official sources said.
The restrictions applied to buses, coasters, vans and goods transport, including heavy vehicles carrying containers. Private cars and jeeps, however, were allowed to continue their journey.
As a result of the blockade, hundreds of freight vehicles were seen parked along the roadside on different stretches of the national highway across the region.
Sources said the restrictions had been in place since Sunday night, affecting transport coming from Gujranwala, Wazirabad, Sialkot, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin and Jhelum districts.
Most public transport vehicles were stopped at bus stands and other designated points before reaching Islamabad. Some buses and vans travelling from Lahore to Islamabad and Rawalpindi reportedly dropped passengers in Gujranwala on Sunday night, forcing many to arrange onward travel through private cars and rickshaws on shared fares.
Officials from the National Highways and Motorway Police, Punjab traffic police and local administration were deployed at multiple points along GT Road, where barricades were placed at intervals of around 10 to 20 kilometers to enforce the restrictions.
The disruption caused significant inconvenience for passengers and transporters, particularly those travelling to Islamabad and Rawalpindi for work and other urgent matters.
