Authorities in Karachi sealed off several major arteries on Monday as the security situation worsened following the reported assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
According to traffic police, multiple routes were closed early in the morning for security reasons. Both lanes from Sultanabad Traffic Section to Mai Kolachi were blocked, along with stretches of MT Khan Road between Jinnah Bridge and PIDC.
Commuters from Jinnah Bridge were redirected to II Chundrigar Road, while vehicles approaching from Boat Basin and PIDC were turned back at designated points.
Later, officials shut both sides of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road from PIDC Chowk to the State Life Building, diverting vehicles toward Beaumont Plaza and Club Road as alternative routes.
Police advised residents to contact the Traffic Helpline at 1915 and tune in to FM 88.6 for updates, assuring that officers remained deployed to manage traffic flow.
It should be noted that violence flared across the country in reaction to the killing, with ten fatalities reported in Karachi and two in Islamabad during protests against what demonstrators described as US-Israeli strikes. Law enforcement personnel responded with tear gas and baton charges to disperse crowds, while authorities extended Section 144 throughout Sindh to curb public gatherings.
