Pakistan: An unspeakable tragedy

In what is probably the most heartbreaking news story of the new year, we shed a tear at the tragedy that unfolded in Nawabshah on Wednesday when a school van carrying some 27 children and schoolteachers collided head on with a truck, resulting in the deaths of some 19 children, two school teachers and the driver of the van. The children ranged from the ages of five to 16. For their families, life will never be the same again. The schoolchildren from Daulatpur were returning from a school trip when the accident occurred on a dirt-track road. The wreckage was so immense that rescue workers had a difficult time prying the bodies out of the mangled vehicle. Initial reports seem to suggest that the accident was caused by reckless driving and overspeeding of the truck. This does not seem to be too far off the mark as the driver of the truck has fled from the scene and is still on the run. What can one say? This is not the first time something like this has happened. In September 2011, a school bus skidded into a ravine due to a mechanical brakes failure, killing as many as 30 children. What will it take for the authorities to sit up and take such matters seriously? It is no secret that, with the exception of the motorway, our highways and roads are channels where everyone must watch out for themselves — what to talk of our dirt track, underdeveloped roads? Rash driving, vans and trucks that do not follow any safety regulations and unlicensed drivers are all major hazards on the roads in Pakistan, which carries the distinction of being one of the world’s worst places for commuters. Apparently, we have some sort of National Highway Authority but it seems as if that has taken the highway itself and has absconded from all responsibility in maintaining set standards for road safety. There is supposed to be a certification body as well to ensure that all public transportation and freight vehicles are fit to be put on the roads. It seems such tasks and duties exist on paper only. The government has announced Rs 0.5 million as compensation for each victim’s family. Would it not have been better if money were spent beforehand in fixing dirt track roads and ensuring some sort of safety? Will it take more innocent lives to be lost before these people wake up and care for our children? No stone should be left unturned in finding the truck driver who must be hauled up before the law and made to pay for his recklessness and the fact that he has ruined all those lives forever.