Residents of Karachi faced yet another hardship on Tuesday morning as commuters were caught up in severe traffic jams in several areas of the city as organised protests blocked major arteries and choked road networks of Sindh’s provincial capital.

As per traffic alerts, lengthy queues of vehicles were witnessed at Sharae Faisal, Chaudhry Khaleeq uz Zaman Road, Korangi road, Teen Talwar, Khayaban-e-Ittehad, Civic Center, Sohrab Goth, Korangi Expressway, and the Lyari Expressway. Traffic towards Korangi’s industrial area where major companies have their offices also faced a gridlock for hours.

It took hours before police said traffic was restored to its normal flow in some areas including Sunset Boulevard and Hino Chowrangi after the protest ended.

KE takes action against illegal connections

But it only came after commuters were unable to reach their workplaces on time, and remained stuck or took U-turns to avoid getting trapped in jams that stretched to hundreds of metres.

In a post on social media X, Karachi Traffic Police had requested the public to use alternative road to avoid inconvenience.

The protests, organised with usage of heavy vehicles to block major roads, were reportedly held against electricity outages and the power utility’s city-wide campaign to end energy theft.

A traffic official told Business Recorder it will take some time for the situation to normalise.

On different WhatsApp groups, people were exchanging messages to warn colleagues about the traffic jams in various areas.

Alerts were also circulating as citizens looked to share details ahead of peak traffic time.

When contacted by Business Recorder, K-Electric – the energy utility in Karachi – said the company has been undertaking a city-wide exercise to eliminate power theft.

“An operation was carried out in Gizri earlier this morning to remove a large network of illegal kundas stealing power from a nearby load-shed-free feeder,” KE spokesperson Imran Rana told Business Recorder.

“Area residents, some of whom were armed, obstructed the KE teams during the kunda removal exercise and blocked access. We are in touch with law enforcement agencies over the matter.

“KE remains committed to combating power theft, which is a menace not only for the company but also affects the load-shed-free status of adjoining areas.”

The company’s remarks come as Pakistan sees a surge in energy tariffs with power theft a major contributor to surging prices.