The Karachi Traffic Police Chief has issued the Muharram procession traffic plan on the 8th, 9th and 10th of Muharram. Arrangements to designate alternative routes for traffic in the city have been made, the officials said.
A spokesperson for the Karachi police said 4,698 police personnel had been deployed for the security of Muharram processions.
As per the traffic plan, the main procession of Muharram 8, Thursday (July 27) will commence from Nishtar Park at 1:30pm and pass through Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Mehfil-e-Shah-e-Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Preedy Street, MA Jinnah Road, Baba-e-Urdu Road, Nishtar Road, Bara Imam, Altaf Hussain Road (Old Napier Road), Bolton Market, Bombay Bazaar and Nawab Mohabbat Khanji Road and culminate at the Hussainian Iranian Imambargah in Kharadar.
On Muharram 9 (July 28), the procession of religious scholars will start at 9am from the Liaquatabad Imambargah on Martin Road and reach at around 12pm Nishtar Park, where the main assembly will be held afterward.
From there the procession will resume, passing through Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Mehfil-e-Shah-e-Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Preedy Street, Tibet Centre, MA Jinnah Road, Bolton Market, Bombay Bazaar, Kharadar and Nawab Mohabbat Khanji Road to end at the Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.
On 10th Muharram (July 29), a large assembly will be held at the Nishtar Park from 7:30am to 9am, following which the main procession will proceed to the Hussainian Iranian Imambargah through Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Mehfil-e-Shah-e-Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, Preedy Street, Tibet Centre, MA Jinnah Road, Bolton Market, Bombay Bazaar, Kharadar and Nawab Mohabbat Khanji Road.
The press release said that as soon as the procession will start from Nishtar Park, all vehicular traffic coming from the city side will be diverted towards Soldier Bazaar Road (Bahadur Yar Jang Road), Coast Guard, Ankle Seria Chowk to Jubilee or Nishtar Road.
All traffic coming from Nazimabad will be diverted from Lasbela towards Nishtar Road and Zoological Gardens.
All traffic coming from the Liaquatabad side will be diverted onto Martin Road towards the Central Jail Karachi.
This diverted traffic will be allowed to proceed to Central Jail, Jamshed Road, Dada Bhoy Noorji Road, Kashmir Road, Shahrah-e-Quaideen and Shahrah-e-Faisal.
Incoming traffic from the Stadium Road side will proceed via New MA Jinnah Road and will be diverted to Dada Bhoy Noorji Road, Kashmir Road, Society Light Signal, Shahrah-e-Quaideen onto Shahrah-e-Faisal.
Meanwhile, traffic coming from the Super Highway and Gulberg side will be diverted from Liaquatabad No 10 towards Nazimabad No 2. It will then proceed via the Habib Bank Flyover, Estate Avenue Road and Sher Shah to Maripur Road — adopting the same route for return.
Traffic from the National Highway side will be diverted from Rashid Minhas Road towards Stadium Road, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Hassan Square, Liaquatabad No 10, Nazimabad No 2. It too will proceed via the Habib Bank Flyover, Estate Avenue Road and Sher Shah to Maripur Road, adopting the same route for return.
The press release added that all kinds of traffic would be restricted from proceeding along the procession’s route from Guru Mandir and will instead be diverted to Bahadar Yar Jang Road.
