Thick fog on Saturday continued to prevail in various cities of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to details, heavy fog observed at night in parts of Punjab including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Sheikhupura. In both the provinces, fog badly disturbed air and land travel with dozens of flights being cancelled, delayed or diverted to other cities and motorways also being closed.
Zero visibility was observed at several places of Motorway and National Highway. Dense fog is prevailing in Mian Channu, Khanewal, Multan and Bahawalpur. Officials said Motorway M-3 from Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad has been closed while motorway M-2 from Lahore has also been closed. According to spokesman of Motorways Police, M-4 from Faisalabad to Gogra section was also closed due to dense fog. Motorway police advised the drivers to use GT Road for transportation.
Police has also advised the drivers to use fog lights during the fog. It also asked them to avoid unnecessary travel at night and during the fog. Motorway Police has asked the citizens to contact on number 130 in case of any problem during the fog. At least 3 people were killed in fog-related accidents in Lodhran district, Punjab. Flight operations at Allama Iqbal International Airport have been suspended while the international and domestic flights have been diverted to other airports.
Separately, traffic flow also got affected in Peshawar and its adjoining areas. On the other hand, mainly cold and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country. However, rain-thunderstorm (snowfall over the hills) is expected at scattered places of Malakand, Hazara, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat divisions, FATA, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan while at isolated places of Quetta, Zhob, and Rawalpindi divisions. Dense foggy conditions are likely to prevail over plain areas of Punjab and upper Sindh during night and morning hours.