KARACHI: The Karachi traffic police issued a traffic plan for the 8th, 9th and 10th Muharram-ul-Haram falling on September 19, 20 and 21 this year.
Traffic Plan:
- For all vehicles coming from the city side:
The traffic will be diverted towards Soldier Bazaar Road from the junction of MA Jinnah Road/Dr Dawood Pota Road. All kinds of traffic coming from the Nazimabad side will be diverted towards Lasbela, Nishter Road and Zoological Gardens.
- For all vehicles coming from the Liaquatabad side:
The traffic will be diverted onto Martin Road towards the Central Jail Karachi. These vehicles will, however, be permitted to proceed upto Central Jail and then proceed via Jamshed Road, Dada Bhoy Noorji Road, Kashmir Road, Sharea Quaideen, Sharea Faisal, Lucky Star, Sarwar Shaheed Road, Fawara Chowk, Shaheen Complex, II Chundrigar Road and Tower.
- For all vehicles coming from the Stadium Road side:
The traffic will proceed via New MA Jinnah Road. These vehicles will be diverted towards Dada Bhoy Noorji Road towards Kashmir Road, Society Light Signal, Sharea Quaideen to Sharah e Faisal.
- For all vehicles coming from the Super Highway:
The traffic will be diverted from Liaquatabad No. 10 towards Chowrangi No.2 Nazimabad and will proceed via Habib Bank Chowk, Estate Avenue Road, Sher Shah to Maripur Road. For the return journey, these vehicles will adopt the same route.
- For all vehicles coming from the National Highway:
The traffic will proceed via Rashid Minhas Road, Stadium Road, Sir Shah Suleman Road, Hassan Square, Liaquatabad No.10, Nazimabad Chowrangi No.2, Habib Bank, Estate Avenue Road, Sher Shah and Mauripur Road. For return journey, these vehicles will also adopt the same route.
- For all vehicles coming towards Guru Mandir (roundabout):
The traffic will be diverted onto Bahadur Yar Jang Road and again onto Khan Bahadur Naqi Muhammad Khan Road. Under no circumstances will these vehicles be permitted to proceed along Soldier Bazaar Road from the junction of Khan Bahadur Naqi Muhammad Khan Road and Bahadur Yar Jan Road.
- For all vehicles coming towards the Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum via MA Jinnah Road:
The traffic will be diverted towards Bahadur Yar Jang Road. No vehicular traffic will be permitted to proceed towards Purani Numaish under any circumstances. On the other hand, all the traffic approaching Purani Numaish via Shahra-e-Quaideen (except those arriving for participating in the procession having stickers pasted on their windscreens issued from this office) will not be allowed to proceed from the roundabout of the Society Office roundabout behind the mausoleum.
- For all vehicles coming towards Saddar and other colonies:
This traffic will not be permitted to proceed towards Empress Market from the junction of Preedy Street/MA Jinnah Road, (2) Court Road Chowk and (4) Fresko Chowk when the head of the procession reaches near the crossing of MA Jinnah Road/Mansfield Street.
- For all vehicles coming from Keamari:
On 10th of Muharram, the traffic will be diverted towards Shireen Jinnah via Musan Road and similarly all vehicular traffic coming from the West Wharf and Mauripur side will not be allowed after ICI Chowk.
- For buses coming towards Saddar:
In the night of 9th and 10th of Muharram, all buses approaching Saddar from Jamshed Road side will not be permitted to come towards Mansfield Street after 2200, hours and these vehicles will be sent straight onto MA Jinnah Road.
Similarly, buses coming towards Saddar to their destination via Shahra-e-Liaquat and Empress Market will be diverted onto Muhammad Bin Qasim Road/MA Jinnah Road and all vehicles going to Malir and Sharea Faisal will be diverted onto Court Road, Moulana Wafai Road, AH Road, MW Road to Sharea Faisal.
All buses coming towards Saddar from Korangi side will be diverted back from the junction of Mansfield Street/Rafiqui Shaheed Road /Sarwar Shaheed Road (Lucky Star). Preedy Street, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street and Shahra-e-Iraq will be closed for all vehicles by 10pm or earlier if needed. The residents of the area will be permitted to reach their residences.
All buses coming towards Tower from Lea Market and other areas will use the following route: Aga Khan Road, Dalumal Chela Ram Road, Mir Muhammad Baluoch Road and Shidi Village Road. “No vehicles shall be allowed to come onto the route of the procession and the park along the route.”
Procession Itinerary:
As per the plan, on 8th of Muharram, a procession will start from Nishter Park and end at Hussainian Iranian Imambargah in Kharadar.
The procession will start at Nishtar Park and then take the route of Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Mehfil-e-Shah-e-Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mainsfield Street, Preedy Street, MA Jinnah Road, (right turn Baba-e-Urdu Road) Baba-e-Urdu Road, crossing of Chand Bibi Road, Nishtar Road, Bara Imam, Altaf Hussain Road, (old Napier Road) MA Jinnah Road, Boulton Market, Bombay Bazaar, Nawaz Mahabat Khanjee Road to Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.
On 9th of Muharram, 20th September, at 9 0’clock in the morning, an Alam procession will be taken out from Markazi Imambargah, Liaquatabad. This procession will first go to Martin Road Imambargah and thereafter it will come to Nishtar Park, where a Majlis will be held. At about 1200 hours, the procession will be taken out from Nishtar Park for Hussainian Iranian Imambargah, Kharadar, via the following routes.
The procession will begin at Nishtar Park, Sir Shah Nawaz Bhutto Road, Mehfil-e-Shah-e-Khurasan, MA Jinnah Road, Mansfield Street, MA Jinnah Road, Boulton Market, Bombay Bazaar, Kharadar, Nawaz Mahabat Khanjee Road and then to Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.
On 10th of Muharram, i.e. 21st of September, a large Majlis of mourners will be held at Nishtar Park from 7am to 9am, and later a procession will start and proceed to Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.
