Heavy traffic snarls hit city centre on Friday following Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) announcement of a protest outside the Karachi Press Club demanding medical facilities for party founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail, where he is serving a sentence.

Police and administration sealed major roads around the press club, including Sir Syed Road, Zebun Nisa Street, and Fawara Chowk, and deployed a large contingent of personnel to the area. The closures disrupted traffic flow, causing severe inconvenience for commuters and local residents.

Traffic jams spread to surrounding roads, including II Chundrigar Road, Shaheen Complex, Sindh Assembly area, Burns Road, Saddar, Regal Chowk, Empress Market, and Sharae Faisal. Long queues of vehicles were reported, leaving commuters stranded for several hours. The pressure on alternate routes intensified, forcing many public transport passengers to walk to their destinations. Ambulances were also delayed due to the gridlock.

Unable to reach the Press Club, PTI leaders and workers Marched from Fawara Chowk to Regal Chowk, where PTI Karachi President Raja Azhar, General Secretary Arsalan Khalid, senior vice president and former MNA Faheem Khan, and women’s wing leaders Fizza Zeeshan and Sarina Khan addressed the crowd.

Azhar demanded that Imran Khan be shifted to Shaukat Khanum Hospital within 24 hours and warned of nationwide protests if medical facilities were not provided. “The PTI founder is a national leader and must be released immediately,” he said. Faheem Khan added, “We will not compromise on Imran Khan’s health. The more pressure applied, the more workers will come out.”

Other leaders echoed calls for urgent treatment, family access, and release. Fizza Zeeshan highlighted Khan’s serious eye condition, insisting he be moved to hospital without delay. PTI vowed to continue its “peaceful struggle” for Khan’s health and freedom.

The PTI protest concluded at Regal Chowk, after which police removed the barricades and reopened the roads. However, congestion continued for some time even after traffic was restored, highlighting the enduring impact of such demonstrations on city traffic.