ISLAMABAD: Residents of Emaar Canyon Views in DHA Phase 5 are being stopped and asked to identify themselves every time they use the Islamabad Expressway — sometimes two or three times in a single day — because the only road out of their community runs through a police checkpoint that was set up to screen inbound traffic from Punjab.
The barrier, positioned on the Expressway adjacent to the Emaar complex, was established to check vehicles entering Islamabad from Rawalpindi, Bahria Town, and DHA Phase 3. That purpose is not in dispute. What residents object to is that their exit point from the community sits on the same side of the barrier, leaving them no way to reach DHA Phase 2, central Islamabad, or return via the T-Chowk flyover without passing through the screening queue every time.
No Alternative Route Available
There is no U-turn in the vicinity. There is no alternate gate. A resident who leaves in the morning, returns at midday, and goes out again in the evening is stopped and identified three times — by the same officers, in the same registered vehicle, on the same stretch of road.
Residents say the screening is applied without exception. Cars carrying only women — dropping children to school or running errands — are stopped and questioned the same way. Several female residents have raised this specifically, saying being flagged down and asked to identify themselves repeatedly, without any apparent basis, is an experience they should not have to factor into a routine commute from their own homes.
Residents Voice Concerns
"This check post is nothing but a big hassle and a source of traffic jam," said Raja Arshad, a resident of Emaar Canyon Views. "It serves no apparent purpose."
Farhan Farooq Haider, another Emaar Canyon Views resident, said the community understands why the checkpoint exists. "We are not against security measures. The police have a job to do and we respect that," he said. "But there has to be a smarter way to do it. The same verified residents, in the same registered vehicles, should not be stopped and questioned every single day. We urge the relevant police authorities to look at this practically and find a solution that keeps the security function intact while removing this daily burden from residents."
Proposed Solutions
Residents point out that every vehicle in the community equipped with an M-Tag is already registered in a government database carrying the owner's identity and address. Electronic verification without a manual stop is possible. At this barrier, that option is not exercised.
The community is not asking for the checkpoint to be removed. Residents say two adjustments would resolve the problem entirely. The first is relocating the barrier 200 to 300 meters further toward the Punjab side, past the Emaar entry and exit points, so that inbound traffic from Rawalpindi continues to be screened while local residents are no longer caught in that funnel. The second is a dedicated M-Tag clearance lane at the current location — standard practice at toll plazas across Pakistan — requiring no new equipment and no additional budget.
Awaiting Police Action
Neither fix has been implemented. Islamabad Capital Territory Police have not publicly explained the operational rationale for the barrier's current placement. The Inspector General of Police Islamabad and SP Operations have the authority to order either adjustment. Residents say they have been raising the issue informally and are now putting it on record, hoping for police high ups to take necessary action.
