WE often travel from Islamabad to Multan to meet our grandparents. Despite the rather heavy toll tax, we use the motorway because of a variety of reasons even though in recent times the condition of rest areas and the public washrooms therein, especially between Faisalabad and Multan, has taken a turn for the worse.

During our recent visit, we had a horrible accident. A few miles before Abdul Hakeem interchange, an animal trying to cross the road rammed into our car, resulting in serious damage to the vehicle. Luckily, all the six of us in the car remained safe, and were able to park the car by the roadside.

Stuck in the middle of nowhere, we called the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) helpline 130. We were put on hold for an irritatingly long time considering it was an emergency helpline and no one had asked us what the emergency was. Eventually, help did arrive and our car was towed away to safety.

During all this chaos, I kept wondering how an animal even entered the fenced motorway. During a family discussion later, I came to know that locals of the area cut the fences to facilitate their own movement mindless of the fact that it is a serious threat to the life of commuters.

The issue needs to be sorted out immediately so that such accidents may not occur again. Certain proposals must be considered by the relevant authorities, like regular fence monitoring and repairs.

Shahram Pitafi
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2023