Protests and Road Closures in Pakistan: What Travellers Should Do

Protests in Pakistan affect travel mainly by closing roads. When a big march or sit-in is expected, police seal routes with shipping containers, motorways and trains can be suspended, and mobile internet is often cut in the cities involved. Most disruption lasts from a few hours to a few days. The UK government advises visitors to avoid all political demonstrations, so the practical answer is to check before you set out, stay put rather than try to get through, and keep spare days in the plan.

What actually happens when there is a protest?

The pattern is consistent enough to plan around. Two recent examples show it:

• November 2024, PTI's march on Islamabad. Before the protest the authorities sealed the capital with shipping containers. The Peshawar to Islamabad and Lahore to Islamabad motorways were closed on the night of 22 November, Pakistan Railways suspended trains between Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Lahore on 24 November, metro buses in Lahore and Islamabad stopped, and mobile internet was blocked in parts of the country. It ended on 27 November.
• October 2025, the TLP march. Containers went up near the Faizabad Interchange, the Red Zone was sealed, and mobile data in Islamabad and Rawalpindi was suspended for days. The march was stopped with violent clashes at Muridke on the GT Road north of Lahore, and the government later banned the party.

Longer sit-ins are rarer but happen: in November 2017 a sit-in at the Faizabad Interchange, which began on 8 November, blocked the main routes into Islamabad for about three weeks.

Smaller protests close a single road or market for part of a day. On 7 December 2025 a rally in Karachi blocked the roads to the airport for several hours (ARY News).

Which places are affected most?

• Islamabad's Red Zone, the government district around Parliament, the Supreme Court and the Diplomatic Enclave, including D-Chowk. It is sealed when a march heads for the capital.
• The Faizabad Interchange, where the main roads between Islamabad and Rawalpindi meet. Blocking it cuts the twin cities apart.
• The GT Road and the motorways between Lahore and Islamabad, the route marches take to the capital.
• Karachi's main roads, including Shahrah-e-Faisal, the road from the airport into the city.
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Emergency measures and governor's rule were introduced across the province on 11 October 2026. The UK advice reports road closures, possible disruption to public transport, a heavier security presence and internet disruption in parts of the province.
• Azad Kashmir. Protests led by the Joint Awami Action Committee from June 2026 were the deadliest unrest there in years, with at least 24 deaths in the first two weeks. The AJK government asked tourists to stay away from 5 to 20 June and told those already there to leave, and phone and internet shutdowns ran for more than 50 days. Our guide to whether Azad Kashmir is safe has the detail.

Around the 9th and 10th of Muharram, procession routes are sealed and mobile services suspended in some cities; see our guide to travelling during Muharram.

How do you check before setting out?

Big marches are usually announced days ahead, so the warning is often there if you look:

• Your government's travel advice. The UK's Pakistan page is updated when there is significant unrest, and you can sign up for email alerts on it.
• Local news. Dawn, The Express Tribune and Geo report road closures and container placements as they happen.
• Your hotel and your driver. They will know which roads are shut long before an app does.
• The Motorway Police helpline, 130, for motorway closures.

Because mobile data may be cut, prepare before it goes: download offline maps, save your hotel's address and phone number, keep printed copies of bookings, and carry enough cash for a day or two.

What should you do if you are caught in one?

The UK advice is to avoid all political demonstrations and large crowds, and it notes that protests that start peacefully can turn violent quickly and that people near them may face extra scrutiny from security forces. In practice:

1. Turn back or wait. Don't try to drive or walk through a cordon or a crowd.
2. Don't film or photograph protesters or police.
3. Follow police instructions and keep your passport on you.
4. Go back to your hotel if you are in the city. A closed road is a lost afternoon; trying to get round it can be much worse.

Why do itineraries carry spare days?

Because a closure you cannot drive around costs time. A march on Islamabad can close the motorways a day or two before it arrives, and the same buffer that protects you from a cancelled Skardu flight or a landslide protects you from a sit-in. Keep at least one spare day before your international flight home, and avoid scheduling a long drive for the day a march is due. We build spare time into our mountain routes for the same reasons.

What does a tour do when a road shuts?

A good operator changes the order of days, waits it out somewhere safe or reroutes, and tells you what it costs. Our terms allow us to change a route, an order of days or an overnight stop when a road or pass has closed, with an equivalent alternative where possible. If a trip cannot run because of a road closure or a government order, we offer new dates or refund what has not already been spent on your behalf.

Our Pakistan tours for international travellers are routed outside the areas the UK advises against and have spare time built into the mountain routes. For the wider safety picture, see our guide to whether Pakistan is safe for tourists and our briefing on things to know before visiting Pakistan.

Frequently asked questions