Commuters relieved as 17-hour gridlock on Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway loosens

E-Paper | June 07, 2026

Traffic on the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway eased up Sunday afternoon following a 17-hour-long gridlock after an oil tanker met with an accident near Nooriabad overnight, DawnNews reported.

The oil tanker was on its way from Karachi to Hyderabad when the trawler's driver reportedly sped up near Nooriabad, causing it to flip over, National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) officials told DawnNews.

No injuries were reported.

Passengers stuck on the highway spent the night stuck in cars cramped bumper-to-bumper along the stretch of motorway.

According to police, the traffic jam along the route intensified when, after the accident, cars began going the wrong way.

NHMP officials said that because of the gridlock, it was difficult to reach the site of the accident with the heavy machinery needed to remove the oil tanker. The tanker was finally removed a little after noon, they added.

They added that construction work on the motorway also hindered their efforts to clear the route.

The Hyderabad-Karachi section of the motorway is now open for traffic.

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qamar zaman

Apr 09, 2017 12:18pm

It's what it call the miss management of the Traffic.

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haider shaikh

Apr 09, 2017 12:20pm

I don’t know why we call it SUPER HIGHWAY! It’s an ordinary road with bumps, no safety measures/markings or traffic signs for drivers.

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arshad

Apr 09, 2017 12:26pm

Is this the condition of our Super Highways? Only highways, no emergency services?

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Asif A Shah

Apr 09, 2017 12:35pm

Another case of negligence in a country where negligence is more of a norm. I feel sorry for those who got caught in the middle of it and were affected by this mishap.

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A Rahman

Apr 09, 2017 12:38pm

It is really massive traffic jam and it is very shameful for Motorway Police who claim their efficiency of highest level but even were unable to remove the long vehicle that met accident from road. We saw hardly 4 vehicles of Motorway just standing helpless. Even they were not guiding the Ambulances and light vehicles to opt sideways to move rather were just allowing Government number plated vehicles and police escorts to use wrong ways to go forward. High time for government to reform and capacity building of Motorway Police. Even other motorway police officials were not called to tackle such emergency situation. No words to explain the difficulties faced during way.

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Sameer

Apr 09, 2017 12:58pm

Incomplete projects...lies told to the nation; national interests sold. Welcome to Pakistan, where every road is a super duper highway because the government says so.

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irfan

Apr 09, 2017 01:03pm

They will still vote to PPP lolz

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ajay

Apr 09, 2017 01:20pm

Hope Chinese cranes soon come and clear the traffic. They are on their way from Beijing. Have patience.

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The end is near

Apr 09, 2017 01:27pm

PPP and PMLN both have destroyed Pakistan. This important highway was made without planing.

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Mashiqkhan

Apr 09, 2017 01:40pm

@haider shaikh - It's motorway now as NS has inaugurated it.

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Pavan

Apr 09, 2017 01:46pm

Heavy inflow of FDI are needed in infrastructure for better high ways

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haider shaikh

Apr 09, 2017 01:55pm

@Mashiqkhan It's a joke on Motorway also.

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Echs

Apr 09, 2017 02:04pm

@ajay long live recently built CPEC

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Naveed

Apr 09, 2017 02:36pm

Accidents happen all over the world but no one take wrong way unless instructed to do so. The menace of wrong way driving, sooner or later will be very deadly. If, we as citizen wont fulfill our responsibility; no infrastructure development will deter this kind of situation. Have patience while driving and let other people have their right of movement

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Lone ranger

Apr 09, 2017 02:47pm

@Naveed Totally agree. Going wrong side has become a culture and people would go the moment there is some hindrance in their path without realizing that their actions will worsen the situation. Well educated people are no different here.

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Dasti

Apr 09, 2017 04:33pm

@Naveed Yoya are very correct..Accidents happen on the highways, it does not mean that people start moving on the wrong way. They are the main cluprits who reached home few hours earlier but thousand of people were late and have spent their night on the highway. Pure selfishness.

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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad

Apr 09, 2017 05:10pm

Thanks God. The worst traffic jam ordeal for the people is over.

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Bixin

Apr 09, 2017 05:15pm

@Pavan Who will pump money?

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Razi

Apr 09, 2017 05:48pm

@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad many meanings equals means nothing.

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Bakhtawer Bilal

Apr 09, 2017 06:15pm

THE OTHER HALF OF EQUATION Corrupt Govt officials, insufficient resources and lack luster police is only one half of this equation. The other half is motorist's adherence to traffic rules. In a normal country, all the cars would be standing in one line waiting for the traffic to open up. Police and emergency vehicle would utilize the shoulder to get to the scene of the accident. But in our country, no one wants to wait. I am sure they would not have left any room on the shoulder resulting in all this mess.

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AdHawk

Apr 09, 2017 06:20pm

Motorways are required to have shoulders on each side designated only for law enforcement and emergency vehicles. This would be a half-hour job in a properly designed system.

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Dasti

Apr 09, 2017 08:38pm

@Bakhtawer Bilal Absolutely Correct

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A shah

Apr 09, 2017 08:47pm

If this is super highway then I don't want to know what a regular highway is.

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Javaid

Apr 09, 2017 10:19pm

Building highways is not enough, traffic management infrastructure and personnel are essential!

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logicaldue

Apr 09, 2017 10:46pm

Everything not just traffic is mismanaged all over Pakistan. First inline for the blame should be the drivers, a miniscule minority has driver education in rules of the road or courtesy of how to share the road with the rest of the traffic. Then the provincial government they are always quick to complain about everything except their own performance (read Sindh Police) The police are just so busy bilking cash out of the traffic they can't be bothered by anything else. Within the city limits they are quick to blame the KMC, forgetting they had control of the city for nearly a decade before restoration of local bodies. Even after that province is doing everything known to man to tie their hands and shoot them in the back. Nothing is ever going to change.

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Alba

Apr 10, 2017 01:48am

Can't image it. Seventeen hours. Some people must have panicked. Any comments here from people who were stuck on the roadway? A tanker truck is the worst if it catches on fire.

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Alba

Apr 10, 2017 01:50am

@arshad ... First thing I thought of was emergency services trying to reach the tanker truck.

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Alba

Apr 10, 2017 01:56am

@haider shaikh ... That thought entered my mind looking at the photos that this was not what I would call a modern four lane highway. Six lanes, three in each direction, would be a fantastic super highway between Karachi and Hyderabad. However, road projects must be built with tax money.

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naz

Apr 10, 2017 09:31am

@haider shaikh So is the reason this is super highway.

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Apr 10, 2017 09:52am

This is how motorway works in Pakistan ?

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Muhamad

Apr 10, 2017 10:02am

@SM that is not a motorway but a normal highway. Motorway is under construction

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Aamir Latif

Apr 10, 2017 12:18pm

Those who had travelled would agree that traffic management was scarcely in place due to divergence since work on superhighway started for conversion. many diversions were very rough and dangerous. Road barriers were not positive isolation at many places between incoming / outgoing traffic. Further compounding the issue is our dear drivers with zero patience. Driving wrong side, moving out of que on non paved roads are all norms. Many serious accidents had happened. I wonder why goods traffic was not diverted on national highway and buses and cars only on superhighway since start of road. construction. Our responsible agencies seems not to have common sense to think and manage such mega issue of road management during construction, a road which is main artery to Pakistan.

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Dr Shah

Apr 10, 2017 07:57pm

@Bakhtawer Bilal very true 10000% agreed

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