I AM really sorry for the family that lost their five-year-old princess, Sakina, who was run over by a speeding bus on Nov 24 in Karachi. I really may not understand the pain of a mother, father, brother or a sister of such a victim.

I am embarrassed to call myself Pakistani. I am currently living in London, and I’ve always praised my country, Pakistan. But this incident has left so many unanswered questions. I live in a country where a person’s life and survival are the first priority. The British government facilitates its citizens with everything because it knows and understands the meaning of humanity.

But our little citizen, Sakina, lost her life because of reckless driving by a bus driver. Yet, on the other hand, it was the negligence of our government, police and local authorities that took Sakina’s life.

First, the driver was driving recklessly and overtaking another bus but there were no traffic police to stop him or penalise him. Second, there are no zebra-crossings where pedestrians can cross the road safely.

People get penalised for the driving/riding licence, vehicle papers, etc, but the government never thought of constructing roads according to verified rules and regulations. Third, the failure of our country’s ruling system is the main cause that we are backward, miles behind other countries.

Asim Illahi Shaikh
London

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2017