KARACHI, Nov 17: Traffic remained disturbed on various thoroughfares here on Friday as the MQM and MMA held rallies. Motorists and commuters in public transport vehicles were stuck on various roads and thoroughfares for hours and vehicles moved at snail’s pace. The traffic police deployed to regulate traffic appeared helpless.

The police blocked M.A. Jinnah Road from Guru Mandir intersection to Eidgah. The blockade compelled motorists and public transport vehicles to take alternative routes. The public transport vehicles coming towards downtown from Liaquatabad on S.M. Taufeeq Road were diverted either towards Lasbella or Jail Chowrangi at the junction of Teen Hatti.

However, the traffic police allowed cars and motorcycles to use Jehangir Road and as this traffic reached the Guru Mandir intersection, it was diverted either towards Islamia College or Soldier Bazaar.

A similar situation was seen at the Lasbella intersection where traffic was diverted either towards Jail Chowrangi or Garden on Nishter Road. Due to diversion on alternative routes, traffic congestions were witnessed on Nishter Road, Jail Chowrangi, Kashmir Road, Shahrah-i-Quaideen, Soldier Bazaar, and other link roads.

The traffic going out of the downtown was diverted towards Sharea Faisal. Traffic jams were witnessed on Shahrah-i-Liaquat, Burnes Road, Preedy Street, Abdullah Haroon Road, Zaibunnisa Street, Fatima Jinnah Road, Deen Mohammad Wafai Road, Sarwar Shaheed Road, M.R. Kiyani Road, I.I. Chundrigar and Dr Ziauddin Ahmed roads.

All roads leading to Sharea Faisal were almost choked and long queues of vehicles were seen moving at snail’s pace. The traffic coming from Clifton also faced problems due to the jams at Metropole Hotel and at the intersection of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road and Club Road near PIDC.

Another protest demonstration held by the MMA in Gulshan-i-Iqbal caused traffic chaos on the main University Road. The impact of these traffic jams was felt at Hasan Square intersection, where the traffic was already disturbed due to construction of a flyover.

The attitudes of drivers were equally responsible for aggravating the traffic chaos as their impatience and intolerance created further mayhem.