19 February 2005	Saturday	09 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, Feb 18: The Traffic Police have finalized traffic plan for Karachi for Ashura. The following arrangements have been made to cope with the expected rush during the 9th and 10th of the Muharramul Haram.

On the 9th day of Muharram, Feb 19 at 0900 an Alam procession will be taken out from the Markazi Imambargah, Liaquatabad. This procession will first go to the Martin Road Imambargah and thereafter, it will come to the Nishter Park where a Majlis will be held. At about 1200 hours the procession will be taken out from the Nishter Park for Hussainian Iranian Imambargah, Kharadar, via the following routes:

Nishter Park, Sir Shahnawaz Bhutto Road, Father Jaminis Road, Mehfile Shah-i- Khurasan, M A Jinnah Road, Mainsfiled Street, Preedy Street, again M A Jinnah Road, Boulton Market, Bombay Bazar, Kharadar, Nawab Mahabat Khanjee Road, to Hussainian Iranian Imambargah.

On Feb 20, 10th of the Muharramul Haram, a large Majlis will be held at the Nishter Park from 0730 hours to 0900 hours and after the Majlis a procession will start and proceed via route at S No 2, above to Hussanian Iranian Imambargah.

As soon as the procession will start from the Nishter Park all vehicular traffic coming from the city side will be diverted on to the Soldier Bazar Road from the junction of M A Jinnah Road/ Dr Dawoodpota Road.

All traffic on the Soldier Bazar Road from its junction with Dr Dawoodpota Road upto its junction with the Khan Bahadur Naqi Mohammad Khan Road shall flow one way. All vehicles coming from the Nazimabad side will be diverted onto the Nishter Road towards the Zoological Garden to reach their destinations.

All traffic coming from the Liaquatabad side will be diverted onto the Martin Road towards the Jail side. These vehicles shall than proceed via Jamshed Road, Dada Bhoy Naoroji Road, Kashmir Road, Shahrah-i-Quaideen, Sharea Faisal upto the Gora Qabristan and then via the Mubarak Shaheed Road, Iqbal Shaheed Road, Lucky Star, Sarwar Shaheed Road, Dr Dawoodpota Road, Preedy Street to their normal routes.

When the head of the procession reaches the junction of M A Jinnah Road/ Mainsfiled Street these vehicles shall proceed for 602 EME Workshop, Mubarak Shaheed Road, Iqbal Shaheed Road, Lucky Star, Sarwar Shaheed Road, Fatima Jinnah Road, Maulana Wafai Road (Old Stratchen Road), Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, M A Jinnah Road till the situation permits when these vehicles shall be diverted onto the I I Chundrigar Road from the junction of the Court Road/M R Kiyani Road.

Similarly, all buses, minibuses approaching city from the Stadium Road side shall proceed via the New M A Jinnah Road. These vehicles shall be diverted at the Dada Bhoy Naoroji Road towards the Kashmir Road from its junction with the New M A Jinnah Road/ Link Road behind the Mazar-i-Quaid.

All trucks, buses, minibuses approaching from the Super Highway side shall be diverted from the Al Azam Square towards Nazimabad Chowrangi No 2 and shall proceed along the Estate Avenue Road, Shershah to the Mauripur Road. For return journey these vehicles shall adopt the same route.

All buses, minibuses and trucks approaching from the National Highway side shall proceed via the Rashid Minhas Road, Stadium Road, Sir Shah Mohammad Suleman Road, Hassan Square, Liaquatabad No 10, Nazimabad Chowrangi No 2, Habib Bank, Manghopir Road, Estate Avenue Road, Shershah, Mauripur Road. For return journey these vehicles shall also adopt the same route.

All car traffic shall not be permitted to proceed towards the route of the procession from the Guru Mandir roundabout. These vehicles shall be diverted onto the Bahadur Yar Jang Road and again onto the Khan Bahadur Naqi Mohammad Khan Road.

Under no circumstances these vehicles shall be permitted to proceed along the Soldier Bazar Road from the junction of the Khan Bahadur Naqi Mohammad Khan Road/ Bahadur Yar Jang Road.

All car traffic coming for the Mazar-i-Quaid side along the M A Jinnah Road will be diverted towards the Bahadur Yar Jang Road. No vehicular traffic will be permitted to proceed towards the Old Numaish.

All vehicular traffic approaching Old Numaish via the Shahrah-i-Quaideen (except those arriving to participate in the procession having stickers pasted on their wind screens issued from the traffic department) shall not be allowed to proceed from the roundabout of Shahrah-i-Quaideen / Link Road behind the Mazar. No Bus, minibus, truck will be permitted to proceed beyond this roundabout towards the Old Numaish.

All traffic going towards Saddar and other colonies will not be permitted to proceed towards the Empress Market from the junction of (1) Preedy Street/ Sarmad Road, (2) Preedy Street/ M A Jinnah Road, (3) Shahrah-i-Liaquat/ Court Road and (4) Shahrah-i-Liaquat/ Mohammad Bin Qasim Road when the head of the procession reaches near the crossing of the M A Jinnah Road/ Mainsfiled Street.

Similarly, all vehicular traffic proceeding towards Saddar via M A Jinnah Road side shall not be permitted to proceed from its junction with the Preedy Street and the Aga Khan Road.

All traffic coming from the Keamari side will be terminated at the Ghas Bunder Railway Quarters and as soon as the head of the procession reaches the junction of the M A Jinnah Road/ Dunnolly Road, these vehicles shall ply in shuttle service between Keamari to the Railway Quarters, Ghas Bunder and the M A Jinnah Road.

All buses coming from the West Wharf side and the Mauripur Road side will terminate at the junction of the Aga Khan Road/ Eduljee Dinshaw Road. The traffic from the West Wharf and the Mauripur Road sides will however, be permitted to proceed via the Aga Khan Road/ G Allana Road, till the situation so permits.

All traffic coming and bound from Keamari and the Mauripur Road from the side of M T Khan Road will travel via the Jinnah Bridge till the time head of the procession reaches the junction of M A Jinnah Road/ Dunnolly Road and thereafter, all the traffic will be suspended from the junction of M T Khan Road/ Jinnah Bridge. On the night of 9th Muharram, a Tazia procession will be carried out through out the city. -APP