KARACHI: Various areas of Karachi remained paralyzed for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday due to road closures and deadly tension in Parachinar, Karam district, causing severe hardship to commuters.
For many residents, commuting has turned into a nightmare due to traffic jams in many parts, forcing commuters to take diversion routes that worsen the situation on other routes. They do.
Protests are being held at more than 12 different places including the main arteries.
These sit-ins will be held at Nizam Chowrangi, Natha Khan Bridge on Sharjah Faisal, KDA Flats in Sarjani Town, Golimar, Power House Chowrangi, Near Safari Park on University Road, Korangi No. 2, Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad. are Abul Hasan Isfahani Road, Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan Johar and other areas.
Karachi Traffic Police says that alternative routes have been provided for traffic in the megalopolis.
However, efforts by the police to clear the road leading to the airport area from Natha Khan through negotiations with the protesters failed.
Police say that the protest is ongoing on Natha Khan Airport Road, while the traffic flow is suspended on the road from Natha Khan to Sadar on Shariah Faisal.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Saturday criticized the continued closure of roads in Karachi “under the guise of protest”, saying it was an inappropriate practice.
The mayor also reprimanded the protesters for damaging the newly constructed roads. “Who allowed them to damage the recently constructed roads in New Karachi,” he said while talking to reporters.
Murtaza said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should solve the problem of Parachinar. However, he added, blocking the arteries would not serve the purpose.
“I informed. [Sindh Minister] Nasir Hussain Shah told about the issue of road closure and he is working on it. It is hoped that the issue will be resolved today as talks with the protestors continue.
He expressed regret that whenever something happens anywhere in the country, demonstrations are held in Karachi and roads are blocked.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah appealed to the protesters to refrain from causing trouble to the public, saying: “Blocking roads in Karachi and Sukkur will not solve the Parachinar problem.”
The protest comes amid a worsening security situation in Parachinar, where more than 130 people have been killed in clashes since November, the flashpoint of recent tensions between the two tribal groups.
Reports also suggested that more than 100 children had died due to lack of medicine, although KP government spokesperson Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif denied these claims.
Parachinar, located in Kurram, is a tribal district near the Afghan border with a population of around 600,000. It has long been the center of controversy.
Recent clashes have created a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of medicine and oxygen exacerbated by the closure of the highway connecting Parachinar to Peshawar.
In relief efforts, the Sindh Governor’s Office announced that a helicopter carrying medical supplies and other aid had reached Parachinar. These provisions were sent on the instructions of the Governor of Sindh to deal with the growing crisis.