AS an ordinary citizen of Karachi, I truely respect and honour all traffic police personnel who pledge to help the public commute freely and safely on the city’s roads, intersections, signals and other locations with high traffic volume.

It is undoubtedly a challenging task to discipline the people who show utter disregard for traffic regulations, and do not even think twice before breaking them. People consider it an insult to turn vehicles by indicating the direction or stop when the traffic light goes red. They try to cross the designated stop lines, and cover more than half the intersection or road so that approaching cars from other roads cannot pass at all.

Karachi is a city that has no dearth of people who choose not to wear the seatbelts or helmets or have a driving licence while driving a car or riding a motorcycle. Additionally, they employ pressure horns and high-beam headlights that not only negatively affect other motorists, but also jeopardise passenger safety. Then come all those powerful people who consider driving without a licence plate a privilege, and find it offensive to be pulled over and asked to pay a fine for breaking the law.

Dealing with such criminal-minded drivers regularly, pursuing strong legal action against their illegal activities, and making sure that their actions do not interrupt traffic are all very admirable efforts that our policemen make every day, day after day.

Despite a severely dilapidated road network, lack of funding and outdated technical equipment, the commitment of our traffic personnel is exemplary, especially when the temperatures go soaring in the summer. The government hardly ever does something meaningful for the police force. We, the people, may at least recognise the critical role they play. Let us do that with a smile.

Dawar Shoaib
Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 23rd, 2024