Several major thoroughfares in Karachi were blocked or affected by traffic disruptions on Friday as Jamaat-i-Islami held protest sit-ins in the city as part of a nationwide demonstration against the petroleum levy.

A day earlier, the party announced that it would stage sit-ins at 510 locations across the country by blocking major roads.

In a traffic advisory issued, the Karachi traffic police warned that traffic flow could be affected due to the protests and sit-ins, with slow-moving traffic, temporary diversions and partial road closures expected on several major thoroughfares.

The affected areas included Mazar-i-Quaid, Numaish Chowrangi, Saddar, Sharea Faisal, Sharae Pakistan, UP Mor, Power House Chowrangi, Defence Housing Authority, Sea View, Shahrah-i-Orangi, Hub River Road, Super Highway and National Highway.

The traffic police advised citizens to avoid travelling to the affected areas unless necessary, and urged them to select alternative routes and allow extra travel time before setting out.

Meanwhile, according to the latest updates shared on JI Karachi’s official X account, party workers had begun staging sit-ins at the announced locations.

According to the updates, workers had blocked the road leading to Natha Khan from Sharea Faisal. The Super Highway and Hub River Road were also blocked. Moreover, the road leading from Sharea Faisal Nursery Bus Stop to Airport had also been blocked.

‘Fuel for political point-scoring’

Responding to the protest, Sindh government spokesperson Sadia Javed said the petroleum levy was a federal matter and questioned why Karachi’s citizens were being “punished” through road closures.

“Jamaat-i-Islami is using the protest to score political points instead of serving the public,” she alleged, adding that the party should focus on the performance of its local government representatives to improve conditions for Karachi’s residents.

She said it was unacceptable for a few hundred protesters to hold a city of millions hostage by disrupting traffic and daily life, adding that such politics should come to an end.

“Blocking roads does not serve the public; instead, it adds to their difficulties,” Javed said, questioning how ambulances and patients could reach hospitals when major roads were closed.

“If Jamaat-i-Islami is sincere in its concerns, it should raise the matter at the relevant forums and in Parliament rather than resorting to protests that disrupt public life,” she said.

Javed also warned that the party should not use Karachi’s residents as “fuel for political point-scoring” and stressed that authorities would not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands, block roads or damage public property under the guise of protest.

Other parts of country

Meanwhile, JI workers also gathered at the designated sit-in locations in other provincial capitals, including Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad.

In Lahore, protesters blocked Qurtaba Chowk, where JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addressed a sit-in.

In Islamabad, a demonstration at Chungi No. 26 was addressed by JI Deputy Emir Liaqat Baloch, the party’s Islamabad chapter chief Nasrullah Randhawa, and traders’ representative Kashif Chaudhry.

The party claimed some clashes broke out between police and protesters during the demonstration.

In Sindh, protesters also staged sit-ins in Thatta, Matiari, Tando Allahyar, Shikarpur and other districts.