Commuters trapped for hours as protest halts traffic in Karachi

Residents, officegoers complained that they remained stuck in traffic until at least 8pm

Thousands of commuters were left stuck in traffic in Saddar on Friday due to a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led protest by the Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan.

Severe traffic gridlock paralyzed Saddar and adjoining areas as PTI workers tried to assemble outside the Karachi Press Club to protest against the 27th Constitutional Amendment. The resulting confrontation between the activists and police left people going about their daily routines in the city centre stranded on the roads for hours.

According to traffic officials, police had already cordoned off the main road leading to the press club as part of a security plan, but the situation worsened when PTI activists began converging on Fawwara Chowk. Their presence blocked multiple lanes, triggering a chain reaction of congestion across central Karachi.

As disorder grew, long queues of vehicles stretched across Burns Road, II Chundrigar Road, Fawwara Chowk, Metropole, the Passport Office area, and several other arteries of Saddar. Motorists reported that even short commutes turned into hour-long ordeals, with many unable to move for extended periods.

Residents and officegoers complained that they remained stuck in traffic until at least 8pm, with some saying a five-minute journey took more than an hour. “There should be a designated place for protests so that ordinary people don’t suffer every time a demonstration is held,” a commuter trapped near Metropole told this reporter.

Officials said traffic flow gradually improved only after law enforcement dispersed the protesters later in the evening.