EVERY day, dozens of unattended cows and buffaloes roam freely right in the middle of busy roads. These animals are not tethered or herded; they wander aimlessly, suddenly crossing paths or even charging at speeding motorcycles and vehicles. Several residents have had narrow escapes from serious accidents. Some people have already suffered injuries. Motorcyclists are especially at risk. What is most disturbing is that the owners seem to deliberately use the public road as a free grazing or resting place for their livestock, showing complete disregard for human life and traffic rules.

Road safety is already a major crisis in Pakistan, with thousands losing their lives every year in accidents. Allowing stray cattle to block main roads only adds to this tragedy and causes economic losses through damaged vehicles, medical bills and lost workdays.

The local administration and the rele-vant government department must remove these animals from the road and ensure proper herding or shelter arrangements. The matter has already been brought to the attention of the assistant commissioner, but no action at all has been taken so far.

Muhammad Awais Rustamani

Wahi Pandhi

Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2026