The Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M5) was briefly closed on Tuesday from the Multan Sher Shah Interchange to Zahir Pir in Rahim Yar Khan due to fog hampering visibility.
National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) spokesperson Imran Shah confirmed to Dawn that the M5 was closed from 6am to 11:30am due to foggy conditions.
The M5 is part of the Lahore–Karachi Motorway network and is operational up to Sukkur. Tuesday’s temporary closure forced thousands of travellers to shift to the National Highway to reach their destinations.
Following the closure, traffic was diverted onto the National Highway from Zahir Pir to Uch Sharif, Alipur and Muzaffargarh to access Multan and Rahim Yar Khan.
The disruption inconvenienced commuters travelling to Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad tehsils of Multan district.
Heavy traffic congestion was also reported near several interchanges, including Zahir Pir, Uch Sharif, Jhangra, Jalalpur Pirwala and Shujabad, after the motorway closure.
In a statement released earlier in the day, the NHMP spokesperson said the decision to close a section of the M5 was taken to ensure the safety of motorists as visibility had dropped significantly along the affected stretch.
The spokesperson said lane violations during fog could lead to serious accidents and urged motorists to strictly adhere to lane discipline.
He advised citizens to travel during the daytime between 10am and 6pm. He also instructed motorists to use fog lights, avoid unnecessary travel, maintain a safe distance from other vehicles and refrain from overspeeding.
Meanwhile, the weather forecast by the Pakistan Meteorological Department shows the fog expected to blanket multiple areas in Punjab from today until Thursday, including Sahiwal, Bahawalpur, Multan, Faisalabad and Lahore. Foggy weather is also expected in Dera Ghazi Khan, Sargodha and Jhelum on Wednesday and Thursday.
However, the weather forecast on the Met Office’s website for the M5 Motorway shows that foggy weather is not expected there until at least 11pm today.
Fog had disrupted travel in various areas of Punjab in January as well, when authorities had to close sections of motorways due to reduced visibility. Low visibility caused by dense fog had also led to several flights being either delayed, cancelled or diverted at the time and had also affected train traffic.
