MAI KOLACHI Road is an important link between Karachi city and the traffic travelling to seaport terminals and other areas near the sea. The road was made almost to perfection with large space for footpath until the US consulate decided to make its premises more secure.

The US consulate is guarded by large walls and checkposts at interval of a every few metres. There are cars of private security that constantly travel around the area. Even after all the protection the consulate did not feel secure enough and it encroached upon the footpath and raised more barriers around it.

For people who work in offices around the consulate have to walk extra mile to get any kind of transport. Even when walking around the edge of the consulate for safe crossing of the road the private security guards show up and misbehave.

It is in our favour that the premises are secured to avoid an act of terrorism but why use public property for security. Why does not the US consulate utilise some of its own land to raise more barriers? The authorities must take such matter into consideration as at this rate sooner or later Mai Kolachi Road may become a no-go zone for heavy traffic, which would hurt our economy as transportation from the sea would become slower through the old route.

AKBAR ALI KHALIQDINA

Karachi