KARACHI: Residents of Mujahid Colony on Friday staged a protest against anti-encroachment drive in Nazimabad and blocked Nawab Siddique Ali Khan Road in Nazimabad No7 and attacked Green Line buses causing suspension of the Bus Rapid Transit service and prolong traffic jams on main arteries where road users became stuck for hours, said officials and witnesses.

The residents of Mujahid Colony, Nazimabad-7, mostly illegal occupants, staged a violent protest against the anti-encroachment drive in their locality, stopping vehicular traffic on Nawab Siddique Ali Khan Road, Sharah-i-Shershah Suri, North Nazimabad roads, KDA Chowrangi, Sharah-i-Humayun and nearby streets.

Some of the protesters were armed with sticks and resorted to attacking Green Line buses with stones compelling the authorities to stop the service.

As a result, the suspension of the service caused a great deal of problems to BRT users. The blockade of several roads resulted in massive traffic jams at evening rush hour.

The traffic came to a grinding halt near A.O. Clinic, Nazimabad and North Nazimabad where commuters suffered agonising traffic jams for hours.

According to traffic police, the residents blocked the both tracks of Nawab Siddique Ali Khan Road near Matric Board Office.

The blockade prompted the traffic authorities to divert traffic coming from North Nazimabad towards Abdullah College Bridge while vehicles coming from Nazimabad were diverted towards Paposh Nagar.

Later in the evening, the protesters ended the protest and the traffic was allowed to ply on the roads.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2022