KARACHI, Sept 23: The unannounced closure of a portion of a road caused disturbance in traffic flow on one of the busiest arteries in Saddar on Thursday.

The traffic police closed the remaining portion of Fatima Jinnah Road in front of Avari Towers and traffic was diverted to Fountain Chowk. Its other portion, where the US consul general's residence is located, is already closed for traffic.

The traffic police had announced that parking on some roads would not be permitted on September 24, from 1pm to 7pm due to the hockey match between India and Pakistan. However, the official statement did not mention any road closure.

Due to the road's closure, long queues of vehicles were witnessed on Zaibunnisa Street, where the traffic was seen moving at a snail's pace. Motorists were trapped in the hot and humid weather in the deluge of traffic.

A motorist said: "What is the justification of road closure and why is the police making all decisions about security? Is anyone there in the government to rein in the police for what they are doing? I fear the police will close all important roads one by one for security reasons!"