KARACHI: A large rally led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi passed through Karachi on Friday, causing traffic congestion on several main roads, officials said. The rally, organized by the PTI, moved peacefully with no major incidents, though minor scuffles occurred among party workers near Jinnah International Airport and the Karachi Press Club.
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PTI spokesperson Mohammad Ali Baloch said the CM’s flight from Islamabad was delayed, and he arrived at the airport around 2pm for a four-day visit accompanied by party leaders. Traffic DIG Pir Mohammad Shah reported that vehicle flow slowed along the National Highway near the airport and on Sharea Faisal as the rally proceeded to Insaf House, the party’s head office near Nursery.
A section of Sharea Faisal was blocked near the FTC flyover to divert the rally towards Lucky Star in Saddar, and onward to the Karachi Press Club. Traffic was similarly affected along Shahrah-i-Quaideen, M.A. Jinnah Road, and parts of the Old City area, where the chief minister visited Ghanchi Para at the invitation of PTI provincial lawmaker Sajid Ali Soomro.
DIG Shah said that since Afridi is the KP chief minister, traffic sector officers were instructed to fully facilitate the rally, ensuring that movement, though slow, was not completely blocked. Temporary barriers were also set up to protect the Red Zone, which the rally avoided, and the CM later proceeded towards Bagh-i-Jinnah via Shahrah-i-Quaideen.
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Despite the disruptions, police confirmed that the rally passed without major incident and the KP chief executive’s meet-the-press programme at the Karachi Press Club proceeded as scheduled. Authorities urged motorists to plan alternate routes to avoid delays in affected areas.