KARACHI: The portion of the Mai Kolachi bypass in front of the US consulate general has been closed for ‘security reasons’, diverting the traffic onto the other track and creating traffic mess.

“You are driving down the road, all is fine until suddenly everything is coming at you! Then you realise that the other track has been blocked with containers from the Moulvi Tamizuddin Khan Road side. The traffic from there is diverted to Mai Kolachi. There are no warning signs about this beforehand and unsuspecting drivers are lucky to avoid head-on collisions,” said Ms Riaz, the mother of a student at Bahria College on M.T. Khan Road, on Thursday.

“Due to the two-way traffic we also get stuck in traffic jams on this portion of the road. We take this route because it is a bypass. We only come this side to avoid the city traffic when in a rush,” said Zeeshan Haider, a marketing executive with the Pearl Continental Hotels.

“The roads are a facility for the citizens of Karachi. The money for their construction and maintenance comes from the taxes we pay. The other track has obviously been closed for the US consulate’s security, but they do not pay taxes and yet they have been helped by inconveniencing us,” he added.

“Making one track two-way can be very dangerous, especially here where you have heavy traffic such as trucks with container-mounted trailers, etc. I have been an eyewitness to accidents here because of it,” said his colleague Abdul Rehman.

“I am Pathan and have a beard so I am looked at as some kind of a suspicious character when I pass on the road,” said Ali Rehman, a roasted corn on the cob vendor in front of Bahria College. “Please remember, every bearded Pathan isn’t a suicide bomber,” the man said.

Meanwhile, two traffic police constables and three personnel of the regular police hurriedly approach any car slowing down or stopping due to a flat tire or engine trouble on the track made two-way. When asked why the panic, they laugh sheepishly, “Oh Bibi, you can’t stop here: not allowed.”

When asked why the road is closed, they reply in chorus like trained robots: “Only temporarily, until the construction work has been completed.”

What construction work? “The moving of the planters inside the consulate premises.”

What planters? “Well, those,” they point at the tall concrete slabs that have grown taller from three feet, to something like 12 feet, placed to create a sort of service road outside the consulate’s boundary wall.

So this arrangement is temporary? “Well,” they look at each other, think, and continue, “we think so”.

When contacted, a spokesperson for the US consulate general said that it was also his understanding that the road blockade was a temporary measure due to security reasons.

“The decision to close one track was not taken by the consulate alone. There were other parties involved as well. But it is true that driving in and out we can also see what a great inconvenience it is. We sympathise and regret the chaos on the road because of it although it was a necessary step taken to protect our employees also. We hope that the situation can be resolved as soon as possible,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 8th, 2014