SINDH’S highways have become avenues of recurring disaster. Within days, fatal crashes on the National Highway near Khairpur and Naushahro Feroze, and on the M9 Motorway near DHA City, claimed dozens of lives. Whether it is buses ramming trailers after brake failure, vehicles travelling in the wrong direction, oil tankers with burst tyres, or cars skidding on rain-soaked asphalt, the pattern is consistent: negligence, weak enforcement and poor road management. In Khairpur, a passenger bus from Bahawalpur to Karachi reportedly crashed into a trailer after its brakes failed. In Naushahro Feroze, speeding and faulty brakes were suspected, compounded by a highway section under construction. On the M9, conflicting accounts — wrong-way driving or a tyre burst — only underline the absence of credible, transparent crash investigations. Days later, rain rendered the same motorway slippery enough for six vehicles to veer off, killing four more people.

The official response has been predictable: expressions of sorrow, orders for inquiries, promises of a crackdown on overloading and speeding, and directives to inspect tyre quality and vehicle fitness. These steps are necessary but they must not dissolve into routine after the headlines fade. The provincial government must implement, forthwith, a province-wide digital vehicle fitness regime integrated with Motorway Police checkpoints, ensuring that buses, oil tankers and heavy trailers undergo mandatory quarterly inspections. Random roadside brake and tyre testing units should be deployed, particularly near construction zones. Speed cameras and average-speed monitoring must replace sporadic manual checks. Construction stretches on the National Highway require proper signage, reflective barriers and rumble strips. During rains, variable message signs should warn of reduced speed limits, enforced through automated fines. Above all, an independent road crash investigation unit publishing monthly data is essential. Without data-driven accountability, Sindh’s highways will continue to exact a relentless but preventable toll.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2026