KARACHI, June 15: A vehicular-traffic mess occurred on Sharea Faisal, Saddar and other adjoining areas on Tuesday, as law enforcement agencies took strict security measures on President Pervez Musharraf's visit to the city.

People were faced with hardships in the hot and humid weather when they were caught in the deluge of vehicles, especially commuters travelling in public transport, including women and children were among the worst sufferers.

Sharea Faisal was sealed in the wee hours on Tuesday, while law enforcement agencies also forbid parking of vehicles on either side of the thoroughfare, and all streets connecting to the artery were closed.

Strict security was taken on arrival of the president, who was visiting the metropolis after the attack on corps commander Karachi on June 10, a senior official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

Motorists were also not allowed to approach the main artery from the Metropole Hotel or from Malir. Security remained intact till the president's arrival. Electronic traffic signals were switched off and the traffic was regulated manually, which caused severe traffic jams near corps headquarters on Sharea Faisal, Metropole Hotel, Club Road, Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road, Abdullah Haroon Road and elsewhere.

Fatima Jinnah Road was completely closed since the two car bomb explosions in front of PACC. Another road leading to Cantt Station from Sharea Faisal was also closed for vehicular movement.

The impact of the traffic jam was also felt in Saddar, Regal, and even on MA Jinnah Road. People were of the view that the president should not visit the city if he was too worried about his security.

People who had parked their vehicles on service roads, had their worries increased when they found their vehicles missing, since police lifted them and left them off at some distance in lanes and by-lanes.

One of the commuters told Dawn that the bus he was travelling in got stuck in the flood of vehicles, and it took him half an hour to reach PIDC intersection from Regent Plaza Hotel.

Keeping in view that the president had escaped an attempt on his life on December 25, 2003 in Rawalpindi, in which suicide bombers had parked their cars at a petrol pump, law enforcement agencies had closed down all petrol stations on Sharea Faisal, and parked heavy trucks to block the entrance and exit points of these pumps.

Besides the police, rangers and military police were also deployed on either sides of Sharea Faisal and atop buildings.