ALTHOUGH the pillion-riding ban has been in effect since March in Karachi, no significant fall has been witnessed in the number of violent killings in the metropolis. In fact, recent figures released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan state that over 850 people have been killed between April and June while the ban has been in force. These figures should prompt the authorities to take a fresh look at the ban and its effectiveness. What it has done has affected millions of people in Karachi, as commuters, unable to hitch a ride on a friend or a co-worker’s motorcycle, are forced to opt for an inefficient public transport system. The ramshackle state of the city’s buses and coaches is well known. Frequent CNG shutdowns have further aggravated the situation. There are now fewer buses on the roads, which means that people have to compete for every inch of space on dangerously overloaded vehicles. To add to this, because of the ban thousands of pillion-riders have been arrested and temporarily placed in lock-ups; this for a relatively minor infraction while far more dangerous individuals are free to roam the city’s streets. The ban is also a way for police to further shake down motorcyclists; a small bribe is usually sufficient for violators of the ban to avoid arrest.

An indefinite, open-ended ban on pillion-riding is a bad idea and hurts the common man more than it hurts the criminal or militant. If there is a pressing need, the practice can be banned for a short period. A permanent ban only adds to people’s miseries and does little to control killings. Such moves are cosmetic measures that do little to deter violence and are no alternative to better policing based on workable intelligence and pre-emptive law enforcement.