Summary
- A young girl undergoing cancer treatment was reportedly caught in a Karachi traffic jam while her family was taking her to a hospital for a medical check-up on Thursday.
- The girl’s family said they were taking her to hospital for a scheduled check-up when they became trapped in the traffic.
- For the affected family, the traffic jam created an especially difficult situation because of the child’s medical condition and the need to reach the hospital on time.
A young girl undergoing cancer treatment was reportedly caught in a Karachi traffic jam while her family was taking her to a hospital for a medical check-up on Thursday.
According to local media reports, the girl and her family became stuck near Essa Nagri after residents staged a protest over prolonged electricity and water outages in the area. The demonstration resulted in severe traffic congestion and long queues of vehicles on surrounding roads.
The girl’s family said they were taking her to hospital for a scheduled check-up when they became trapped in the traffic. According to the family, the child is suffering from chest cancer and had a urine bag attached to her at the time, making the delay particularly distressing.
Residents said they had been facing shortages of both electricity and water for around 15 days. Frustrated by the prolonged disruption, they took to the streets to demand an improvement in basic services.
The protest caused significant disruption to traffic movement in the area. The road connecting Gharibabad to Hasan Square was reportedly closed to traffic, with vehicles being diverted through Liaquatabad No. 10, Karimabad and an internal bypass near Gharibabad.
Traffic heading from the Hasan Square U-turn was also diverted towards University Road and NIPA. Meanwhile, motorists travelling from Hasan Square towards Liaquatabad faced further congestion and delays.
The incident has drawn attention to the difficult balance between residents’ right to protest over essential services and the impact such demonstrations can have on emergency and medical journeys.
For the affected family, the traffic jam created an especially difficult situation because of the child’s medical condition and the need to reach the hospital on time. The case also highlights the broader consequences of prolonged civic service disruptions, which can affect not only daily commuters but also patients requiring urgent or scheduled medical care.
Residents maintain that repeated power and water outages have left them with little choice but to protest. Authorities, meanwhile, face the challenge of resolving the underlying service complaints while ensuring that major roads remain accessible, particularly for ambulances and people travelling for medical treatment.
The situation has once again highlighted Karachi’s traffic and infrastructure challenges, as protests and road closures can quickly cause widespread congestion across major routes.
