ON Aug 4, I along with a friend visited the District Headquarters Hospital, Kohat, to meet my colleague whose father had been admitted there.

The area around the hospital was a sea of people, including soldiers, policemen and air force personnel; the scene was unbelievable. As we moved forward, we come across a number of ambulances with coffins inside; we lost our purpose of visit, then.

I asked a policeman, what had happened? He said that a terrible accident had taken place on the Indus Highway near Sumari, Kohat; 20 people had died on the spot and 80 more were badly injured.

We met a young man who was sitting in the front seat of an ambulance. He was badly injured and behind him was a coffin holding the body of his wife. In another coffin was another woman, who was survived by her husband and two children.

All the victims were laid to rest in their hometowns; may Allah grant their families patience and blessings.

But why don’t the authorities keep check on vehicles, especially the large ones, that overspeed on the highway? Why is this major road artery not rebuilt and broadened on an emergency basis from Peshawar to D. I. Khan? Why can the chances of horrible accidents not be reduced?

Nasim Gul

Kohat

Published in Dawn, August 18th, 2018