KARACHI, Feb 9: People faced hardships in reaching their destinations on Friday evening as traffic remained jammed on thoroughfares due to the VVIP movement and owing to rainwater standing on roads.

Hundreds of public and private vehicles remained stuck for hours at Bolton Market, Arts Council, Regal Chowk and Tower. Traffic mess was witnessed on Club Road, I.I. Chundrigar Road, Burns Road, Jamshed Road and Garden Road. Reports of road closures were also received from SITE, Korangi, Malir, Sharea Faisal at a couple of traffic signals, Liaquatabad.

Earlier, traffic police closed all link roads along I.I. Chundrigar Road as part of security measures for President Pervez Musharraf, who visited the State Bank of Pakistan and returned to the Governor’s House.

The law enforcement agencies had also closed all link roads from Hassan Square to SITE town to facilitate the president’s movement, who was scheduled to inaugurate the signal-free corridor from SITE to airport in the evening. The Saddar-bound public transport had to move via Banaras, Sher Shah and Tower.

Due to the closure of major roads, motorists turned to narrow streets to reach their destination but faced traffic mess.