Bloody Sunday on Pakistan’s Roads

APP 

Islamabad: What began as an ordinary Sunday turned into a day of mourning for families across Pakistan, as a series of tragic road accidents claimed multiple lives and left several others injured in different parts of the country. 

From the bustling highways of Sheikhupura and Faisalabad to the rugged terrains of Upper Dir and the crowded streets of Karachi, the stories were painfully similar — vehicles speeding, tyres bursting, and lives shattered in seconds.

In Sheikhupura, two men, Muhammad Imran and Tariq Mahmood, were killed when a vehicle’s tyre burst on Faisalabad Road near Khariyanwala, causing a collision with another car. Five others were injured in the crash and rushed to a nearby hospital by Rescue 1122 teams.

In Upper Dir, a trailer plunged into a deep ravine in the Kotchke area of College Colony, killing two people on the spot and injuring two others. Police said the victims belonged to Lakki Marwat and Takh Bhai. Initial investigations suggest that overspeeding caused the tragedy, a recurring factor in many fatal accidents across the region.

A similar pattern was observed in Haripur, where four people were killed and four others injured after a rickshaw collided with a pickup truck at Hala Chowk. Police said reckless driving was again to blame, as both vehicles were reportedly speeding in a congested area.

Meanwhile, in Faisalabad, a police van met with a fatal accident on the motorway near Samundri. The vehicle, returning from Lahore, collided with a truck ahead of it, killing police official Zafar Iqbal, 48, on the spot. Eight others, including Qadeer Ahmad and Nouman Mehmood, sustained injuries and were shifted to hospital for treatment.

In Karachi, two people were killed in separate road accidents. In one incident, a speeding dumper hit a motorcycle near Malir Cantonment, killing government employee Ayub instantly. In another, a young girl lost her life when a car hit her near Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park. Both drivers fled the scene before the police arrived, highlighting the rising trend of hit-and-run cases in the city.

Experts warn that such tragedies are becoming alarmingly frequent due to reckless driving, poor road infrastructure, lack of enforcement of traffic laws, and limited driver education. Despite repeated awareness campaigns, Pakistan continues to record one of the highest rates of road fatalities in South Asia.

Traffic police officials and rescue workers say that unless there is stricter implementation of road safety regulations, investment in vehicle inspection systems, and better public awareness, “every weekend will bring fresh headlines of loss and grief.”

For the families of those killed and injured this Sunday, the statistics offer no comfort — only the silence of lives cut short on Pakistan’s roads.