The families of the two men who lost their lives in a deadly crash involving federal Ombudsperson, Kashmala Tariq’s vehicle in Islamabad were well within their rights to call for the release of her driver and son. No matter what led them to pardon the accused, Pakistani law has a clear provision for the legal heirs of an affected party to grant forgiveness in such matters. Nevertheless, the constitution does not give them the authority to establish who was driving the aforementioned car. Whatever their affidavits may conclude, there is no denying the fact that the Safe City footage has yet failed to show the driver’s face. While Islamabad police is still actively pursuing the investigation, the car’s owner is busy proclaiming the innocence of her family in the dismal episode. There remains the need to find the real deal about what had transpired that night! Even if the Ombudsperson’s claims hold true, she could have at least shown the slightest of concerns over an irreplaceable loss of life. It was not just four lives that the speeding four-wheeler put an end to. The very fact that the men had come from Mansehra to sit in an exam for anti-narcotics appointments is a likely indicator that they were to become breadwinners of their households. It is not that hard to imagine the catastrophic impact of such loss on the victims’ families and their living standards. Over fear of sounding repetitive, the Islamabad road mishap is another reminder of the emerging epidemic in Pakistan. As per Pakistan’s National Roads Safety, traffic accidents take a human life every five minutes. If aggressive driving and traffic rule violations continue to assume the topmost killer mantle on our roads, these crashes are predicted to increase by about 200 per cent by 2030. A major determinant of this hell-may-care attitude is the outrageously complicated prosecution of those charged with rash driving. While Section 320 of Pakistan Penal Code stipulates a sentence of up to 10 years if a person dies in a traffic accident, Ms Tariq’s episode saw the alleged defendants take a shortcut to redemption. Unless and until road safety laws are not implemented in true letter and spirit, Pakistani traffic would remain synonymous with notorious dangers. A notable first step in this regard would be to clear the air. Investigative agencies can be instrumental in proving Ms Tariq’s innocence (or, lack of) by a comprehensive report on whether any misrepresentation of facts was allowed to cloud the case proceedings. Then again comes the pertinence of the VIPs establishing themselves as special children of God where no rules and regulations apply to them. More inclined to act like public masters, not public servants are in an urgent need of reawakening to their responsibilities to the people who have elected them. But that’s another tale for another time! *