THE role of the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) is to ensure safety on the highways, enforce traffic laws, and be present round the clock for emergencies. Yet, on the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, officials’ lack of responsibility and professionalism has created a serious safety hazard for drivers and passengers alike.

Police officials are rarely seen on the highway except for brief morning hours when they focus exclusively on issuing fines for overspeeding. Instead of using safe and advanced methods, officials are often seen standing in the middle of the road to stop speeding vehicles.

This practice is not only unprofessional, but also incredibly dangerous. The process involves officers manually signalling vehicles to pull over at high speeds above 120km per hour by physically standing in the middle of the road. The risks this creates are severe, as drivers may swerve, brake suddenly, or collide with vehicles behind them.

Recently, such an incident occurred which highlights the consequences of this rather unprofessional approach. As an officer standing on the road attempted to stop an overspeeding vehicle, the driver suddenly applied the brakes. This abrupt stop caused a chain reaction, resulting in a pile-up often involving several cars, and significant damage to all the vehicles involved.

Despite such incidents, NHMP officials have shown little awareness of, or accountability for, the dangers their actions pose. The technology needed to monitor speed without these risky methods is readily available. Speed cameras with automatic number-plate recognition could easily capture speeding vehicles, allowing police to issue fines at the next toll plaza rather than on the open road.

A coordinated strategy where one team detects overspeeding and informs another team at the toll plaza could ensure safe enforcement without putting officers and motorists in danger.

Furthermore, the specific timing of these actions raises concerns about the motivations behind this enforcement. The selective presence of officials and their sporadic enforcement of traffic rules suggest a lack of commitment to road safety and, potentially, a hidden agenda. Road safety demands consistent, res-ponsible policing, not practices that put lives at risk.

The NHMP should take urgent action to provide stricter and regular training to its officers, emphasising professional and safe enforcement techniques. Besides, there should be strict accountability measures firmly in place. Only by enforcing these standards can the safety and trust of road users be restored on the crucial motorway linking Karachi and Hyderabad.

Qazi Fahad Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 14th, 2026