It is one of those days today where a thousand thoughts are running through my mind as I mourn over the tragic loss of twenty innocent lives and concurrently curse the unequivocal rotten system of Pakistan. I was caught in the aura of the news about the collision between a passenger bus and an oil tanker on the M5 Motorway. Upon reading the details of this heart-wrenching incident, I got to know that apparently, the bus driver fell asleep which led to his bus crashing into the oil tanker and catching fire instantly. My heart aches and silent tears flow down my eyes as I write that a former college mate Anas Shahid along with his parents also passed away in this horrendous incident. He was a humble boy, a diligent student of IBA Karachi, and previously my junior in The City School, Karachi. I am sure he and all other victims are in a much better place now because living in a country with no accountability, no value for human life, and rampant corruption is an ordeal on its own.
The bus driver should not be solely blamed, I believe the Daewoo Express Management, National Highways & Motorway Police (NHMP), National Highway Authority (NHA), Emergency medical services (EMS), Driving license issuing agencies, all provincial governments, and the federal bodies, are equally responsible for this acutely distressing incident. The negligence of the authorities and improper mechanisms to deal with such unfortunate incidents has put the lives of millions of people in peril. We are always on a reactive front rather than working towards the preventive aspect, and this is where the problem arises. Our roads have become a death trap and we as a Nation are doing absolutely nothing to curb such myriad occurrences. It is evident that no lesson was learned from the harrowing tragedy that struck Bahawalpur on July 25, 2017, when an overturned oil tanker exploded in a Catastrophic inferno killing more than 150 people and injuring scores more.
“Neither an ambulance nor fire brigade was informed [in time],” IG Shaukat Hayat said and conceded that Motorway Police were unable to fulfill their responsibility on the day of the incident. What more will it take for the government and relevant authorities to realize the seriousness of the entire situation? Will the governing circles ever evolve from their petty political rivalries and actually focus on the people of this country? Can we for once put ourselves in the place of those innocent passengers and try to feel what they would have gone through? Sadly, we can’t because our conscience has died! The death of a conscience starts with small things that invariably become larger things. When you do something you know is wrong, continue on and try to cover it up, your conscience becomes hardened, callous, and resistant. This is exactly what has happened with our ruling elites.
Seventy-five years since Independence yet we are unable to eradicate Corruption from the roots of Democracy in Pakistan. Will this abuse of entrusted power by individuals in positions of authority ever come to a halt? The perpetuation of fraudulent behavior, misappropriation of funds and public resources, payment of kickbacks in illicit transactions, lack of accountability, extortion, and nepotism has plagued the country and has infiltrated the socio-economic and political landscape. It’s high time the government bodies in Pakistan realize the need to introduce reforms in highway operations and establish emergency service stations on motorways so that the perceived impact and damage of road accidents can be mitigated through the prompt availability of fire brigades, ambulances, and other emergency equipment.
A holistic approach in this regard would enable the country to address such issues in a comprehensive and sustainable way. A collective response from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, stakeholders, and civil society is the dire need of time. We must inculcate empathy and honesty in our children because it’s going to take many generations after ours to bring about significant change but at the very least we can play our role in being a part of the solution, not the problem.
The writer is an undergrad social sciences student at SZABIST, Islamabad.
