BAHAWALPUR: A youth allegedly set his motorcycle on fire in frustration over fine imposed by the National Highway and Motorway Police (NH&MP) officials for not wearing a helmet on Bahawalpur-Ahmadpur Highway near a ghee mills, about 20km from here on Monday night.

As per eyewitnesses, a youth, identified as Adnan, was riding a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, when he was stopped by NH&MP officials on duty at beat No 20, and was handed over Rs1,000 fine slip.

As the youth argued with the NH&MP officials, they also impounded his bike.

The witnesses said that the youth also requested the officials to spare him as he was not able to pay the fine because of financial constraints, but they refused.

NH&MP officials accused of unjustified heavy fines

At this the youth got enraged, and set his motorcycle on fire in the middle of the road, they said.

Following the youth’s abrupt action of torching his motorcycle, a mob gathered on the spot.

The NH&MP officials threatened Adnan to book him under the “Anti-Terrorist Act (ATA)” for blocking the motorway by throwing his motorcycle in flames.

According to witnesses, later, the NH&MP officials summoned Adnan’s parents and relatives, and warned them of strict legal action, forcing them to submit a written apology for the youth’s violent act.

After submitting the apology the NH&MP officials let Adnan and his family members go. It was not yet clear whether they waived off the fine or not.

Some of the area residents complained that the NH&MP officials routinely slapped “unjustified” heavy fines on innocent people and harassed them.

They appealed to the high-ups of the NH&MP to take action against the officials deployed at beat No 20.

TRADERS’ CONCERN: The traders and shopkeepers doing businesses at the Bahawalpur General Bus Stand expressed concern over the district administration’s decision to demolish over 100 shops there, during an anti-encroachment drive.

Addressing a press conference at the local press club on Tuesday, shopkeepers’ union president Tariq Majid said the administration has served notices, giving them 48 hours to remove “encroachments” from the bus stand.

He said the such an action would be tantamount to economic murder of the shopkeepers and traders, claiming that they neither violated the tenancy terms, nor delayed the payment of the shops’ rent.

He claimed that such an operation would also be in violation of a stay order issues by high court in favour of the shopkeepers.

He appealed to Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to delay the anti-encroachment operation for a year and during the period provide the affected shopkeepers an alternative place to earn their livelihood.

He threatened that if their demands were not met, they would be constrained to launch an agitation, including demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strike.

Later, score of shopkeepers staged a protest rally carrying banners and placards from the press club to the Islamia University (IUB) Chowk for acceptance of their demand.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2024