RECENTLY, I went to Peshawar from Attock. I was new to the city and was using Google maps for navigation. As I crossed Yaka Toot Bazaar and made a right turn near masjid Qasim Khan, my car tyres hit something and the car started wobbling.

People and passersby were laughing at me. I stepped out and, to my utter shock, I found my car tyres flattened as the car had moved over tyre shredder blades installed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa traffic police for ensuring one-way traffic.

There was no signboard, no banner whatsoever indicating a one-way traffic on that road. I have never seen such a weird tactic in any other large cities such as Lahore and Rawalpindi.

I went through a mental stress for three hours as I arranged alternative tyres and that too at a high price. Local people told me that this happened almost daily to newcomers. I myself watched at least two more drivers going through this ordeal.

I demand an apology from the KP police administration, and the removal of these tyre-disabling devices that are commonly used by the military for the protection of sensitive installations. Besides, signboards should also be installed telling the drivers that it is a one-way road.

Muhammad Farhan Nawaz
Attock

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2020