KARACHI: Authorities in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province have barred entry of dumper trucks in the commercial hub of Karachi from 6am till 11pm, a senior official said late Saturday, amid a rise in fatal road accidents that involved heavy vehicles.
The announcement came hours after a dumper truck crushed three people to death in the city’s Ibrahim Hyderi area. It followed a similar incident in Gulistan-e-Jauhar, which claimed three lives a day ago.
Fatal road accidents are common in Pakistan where traffic rules are rarely followed and roads as well as a majority of vehicles are in poor condition. Road crashes have killed at least 96 people, including 71 men, 12 women and 13 children, and injured nearly 1,300 others in Karachi in the last two months, local media reports, citing police.
On Saturday, Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Haider Shah presided over a meeting of senior provincial officials and decided to introduce a Vehicle Inspection and Certification System (VICS) in the province among other measures to contain the rising number of road accidents.
“All vehicles in the city should have a certificate with a QR code from the Transport Department,” said a statement issued from the chief secretary’s office after the meeting, adding that authorities will conduct physical verification of all heavy vehicles and their drivers in the city.
The chief secretary directed inspection of all water tankers of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board within a month, while the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board, which collects garbage with the help of dumper trucks, was ordered to shift operations to nighttime within 3 months.
“The main reason for accidents is the lack of implementation of the heavy traffic laws,” the chief secretary was quoted as saying.
“FIRs [police complaints] should be registered against those who drive recklessly along with a challan.”
The official urged motorcyclists to wear helmets and instructed traffic police to increase enforcement of traffic laws in the city.
Pakistan’s commercial capital bars entry of dumper trucks in daytime amid rising accidents
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Pakistan’s commercial capital bars entry of dumper trucks in daytime amid rising accidents
- The announcement came hours after a dumper truck crushed three people to death in Ibrahim Hyderi area of Karachi
- Accidents are common in Pakistan where traffic rules are rarely followed, roads and vehicles are in poor condition
Pakistan’s president defends ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, urges Kabul to dismantle militants
- Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday
- Pakistan’s military says it is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president on Monday defended his country’s ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan earlier said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including Al-Qaeda and the Daesh (Islamic State) group.
“(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,” Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that “no state accepts serial attacks on its soil.”
Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions.
Kabul has denied such claims.
In Afghanistan, the deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistan’s military fired mortar shells at a refugee camp in eastern Kunar province, killing three children and injuring three others.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said Afghan forces carried out strikes targeting a Pakistani military facility near Paktia province, causing “substantial losses and heavy casualties.”
Pakistan’s military did not respond to questions. It has said Pakistan is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge of violence in recent months and blames it on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It operates both inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.
The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.
Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s call for talks, saying, “We have never walked away from dialogue.”
The Pakistani leader again accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India by sheltering militant groups.
“Stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said.
Zardari cited a recent report from the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team that described the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan as an extra-regional threat.
