Authorities have closed multiple roads in Karachi to ensure security at the 11th Edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar (IDEAS) 2022 and the city’s police have issued a traffic plan for commuters.
People heading home after the day’s work on the first day of the exhibition Tuesday are already raising complaints on social media, saying they were facing long delays.
The three-day expo was inaugurated by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Nearly half a dozen points will remain closed in the city throughout the day between November 15 and November 18.
Sir Suleman Shah Road which connects Liaquatabad No. 10 and Hassan Square with Sharae Faial remains partially closed, with the section between Hassan Square and Sharae Faisal having been completely shut.
Incoming traffic from the Nursery area on Sharae Faisal has been advised not to take the turn onto Sir Suleman Shah Road and instead continue to move down on the main artery of the city and then turn onto the Rashid Minhas Road, which runs parallel to Sir Suleman Shah Road. Similarly, traffic coming from the airport has been advised to take a turn onto the Rashid Minhas Road, instead of going to Karsaz and moving onto Sir Suleman Shah Road.
Sir Suleman Shah road was already experiencing traffic gridlocks Tuesday afternoon.
The National Stadium Road, also known as Shaheed Sibghatullah Shah Rashdi Pir Pagara Road, which connects the Rashid Minhas Road at Millenium Mall with the National Stadium also remains closed for heavy and commercial traffic while private vehicles are allowed to pass.
Nipa Chowrangi is another hotspot that you should avoid. Heavy traffic and commercial vehicles will be diverted away from this point as they are not allowed on the road between Nipa Chowrangi and PP Chowrangi.
PP Chowrangi is an unofficial acronym given to the Peoples Secretariat Chowrangi — located near the Jinnah Mosoelum — by some people, says Aaj TV’s Sohail Rab Khan.
University Road remains closed for heavy and commercial traffic joining in from side streets, though private vehicles can pass. Heavy traffic heading from the city center towards Nipa and Safora is being diverted onto Sharah-e-Qaideen near the Jinnah Mausoleum via PP Chowrangi and Sharah-e-Qaideen.
University Road’s track leading from the city center to Safora had already clogged by the afternoon on Tuesday between the Jail Chowrangi and Hassan Square.
Heavy and commercial vehicles are not allowed onto Sir Shah Suleman Road between Liaquatabad No 10 and Hassan Square and this traffic will also be diverted towards Shahrah-e-Qaideen via PP Chowrangi.
Based on the information made available by the traffic police, you may experience traffic delays in the areas surrounding the Jinnah Mausoleum and you should certainly not head toward Sir Shah Suleman Road or anywhere near the National Stadium if you don’t live or work there.
Since the Rashid Minhas Road will be taking in more traffic, delays are expected particularly on the turn of the Sharae Faisal that leads you onto the Rashid Minhas Road.
The alternative route to Sharae Faisal is Korangi Road and then the road that passes through Korangi Industrial Area, but this is a lot longer and probably not as safe as Sharae Faisal.
For commuters who begin their journey at Saddar and use University Road to head towards Safora, traffic police officials believe they should also take Sharae Faisal via Shahrah-e-Qaideen. This means more traffic pressure on the main artery of the city. But again the alternative route of Korangi Industrial Area is fraught with risks.
A relatively long de-tour via Lyari Expressway is another option. But you need to take Garden Road [near the Zoological Garden] to join the expressway at the Garden Interchange.
Given the traffic woes people experienced on the first day of IDEAS 2022, several social media users said that the government should have announced a three- or four-day public holiday for the exhibition.
People reacted sharply to a tweet by PPP leader Murtaza Wahab who shared the traffic plan announced by the Karachi Traffic Police.
“This plan is good for nothing. The traffic bottleneck is really bad,” said Nusrat Zehra.
People who live near the National Stadium or work at the hospitals located near Hassan Square complained that they had to pass through multiple security checkpoints. “Clear the route for hospitals, no idea is greater than treatment of human kind. Allow hospital duties vehicles on blocked routes,” demanded Junaid Shaikh.
