I have seen a great consistency in the political mindset of our rulers, as they all believe that “Jo dikhta hai wo bikta hai” (what can be seen, can be sold). Thus, our rulers religiously follow the idea of spending the public’s money on tangible and eye-catching projects. Take the example of the present government. The Sharif brothers gave us the motorway, Metro Bus service, flyovers and signal-free corridor in Lahore, and other projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Orange Line Metro are now in progress. Interestingly, the main focus area of the Sharif brothers has always been central Punjab, especially Lahore.
As a resident of Lahore, I am a direct beneficiary of most of these luxurious projects. However, due to my close affiliation with southern Punjab, I also feel the pain of the southerners; they are isolated and have a sense of deprivation as their grievances remain unanswered. Even everyday survival has become a challenge due to scarce basic necessities of life. The so-called khadim-e-aala (servant of the people) copies Zulfikar Bhutto during his public speeches by shaking the microphone but has he made a sincere attempt to focus on food, shelter and clothing? The honourable Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab seems more like a mayor of Lahore rather than the CM of the entire province.
So, what happens when infrastructural development is channelled to a particular city? The inflow from smaller cities increases, people leave their homes and start migrating to bigger cities for employment and a better standard of living. This is exactly what is happening with Lahore. The extension of Canal Bank and construction of the signal-free corridor is not a viable solution when you are attracting heavy traffic from all over the country in the form of new settlers. Under Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan, every citizen of Pakistan has a right to equality. I seriously doubt that the standard of living of the residents of Lahore is the same as compared to the residents of remote and southern areas of Punjab. Is it because the Sharif brothers have no stake in southern Punjab? Well, they do not have much at stake in Lahore either except the fact that they are based here. I hope that logic will prevail someday and our rulers will grow up and take responsibility for the poor and oppressed from all parts of the country.
The increase in infrastructural development in Lahore is also increasing the population of the city. Road transportation is something that is deeply rooted in our daily lifestyle. I can safely assert that all readers must have seen reckless driving, frequent change of lanes and zigzag overtaking on the roads. I am also sure that readers must have seen the one-wheeling of motorcycles and other acrobatics on the roads. The issue of road traffic is a serious concern for all the residents of urban cities; it has a direct impact on our moods and lifestyle. For some odd reason, this issue has never attracted the spotlight.
After the 18th Amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan, road transportation, except national highways and strategic roads, has become a purely provincial subject. The government of Punjab has built roads and invested a fortune on infrastructural development but the road safety of drivers is still a neglected area. I have personally witnessed several accidents on the roads that have shed the blood of innocent civilians. Who is going to protect their fundamental rights to life, safety and human dignity?
The governing law in Punjab for road safety is The Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965 (“provincial law”). It has been amended from time to time but the amendments are so trivial that they cannot meet the progressive speed of society and prevailing circumstances. It is a well-settled principle of the Constitution that fundamental rights have to be construed in consonance with the changed conditions of society with a vision to the future. In the case of Hurtade versus California, 110 US 516, it was held by the US Supreme Court that, “While the language of the Constitution does not change, the changing circumstances of a progressive society for which it was designed yield a new and fuller import to its meaning.” The same approach was taken by our Supreme Court (SC) in both the Nawaz Sharif case, PLD 1993 SC 473, and the Benazir Bhutto case, PLD 1988 SC 416.
It is no rocket science that in winter, Punjab encounters heavy fog. There is not even a single provision in the aforementioned statute that provides safety measures for fog. Likewise, there is no mandatory requirement to have fog lights on vehicles. I have never seen a traffic warden imposing a fine for not having fog lights. There also is no specific speeding limit during fog time.
As far as motorcycles are concerned, one-wheeling is an offence under section 99-A of the provincial law. However, the same law is silent on acrobatics. According to a study of motorcycle accidents in Karachi titled ‘Surge in road accidents involving mostly motorcyclists’, over 12,000 road traffic accidents involving motorcyclists were reported at five different hospitals in Karachi. In these accidents, 528 people lost their lives. It is a tragedy that, “The rider and pillion rider group constitutes the highest number of road casualties, covering more than 63 percent of the total casualty data.” According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, there were 9,723 road traffic accidents in Pakistan in year 2010-2011, out of which 5,420 were only in Punjab. I want to ask our rulers what steps have been taken to ensure road safety.
I may not be very intelligent but common sense tells me that helmets and sidebars are not the sole solution because they cannot prevent an accident but only reduce the chances of injuries in accidents. The effective measure that needs to be incorporated in the provincial law is to make the installation of two side-wheels mandatory on motorcycles. By installation of such side-wheels, a bike cannot do one-wheeling, acrobatics or even drive in a zigzag way, which often becomes the cause of fatal accidents. Such side-wheels will also reduce the chances of the bike flipping over. Therefore, the side-wheels will give bikes more stability and safety.
Human life is not cheaper than a government’s convenience. The introduction of changes in the road traffic system is the present need for better safety of our citizens. We hope and leave our homes after reciting Ayat-ul-Kursi for protection on the roads but we are not making any serious effort to improve our traffic laws.
The road traffic laws of Pakistan are impotent when it comes to public safety. Enforcement measures like imposition of fines and mandatory requirements like wearing a seatbelt or a helmet are necessary but insufficient. It is like waiting for the cancer to happen and then curing it with medication. The threat of road traffic accidents is taken for granted. The general view is to think about it once it happens.This has to change; I hope that one day it will.
The writer is a freelance columnist