RECENTLY, the Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M9) has been entrusted to the Frontier Works Organisation for the next 25 years to widen four lanes into six lanes.

This toll plaza lies in Sindh University’s land, and has been tax free for university employees, teachers and students. A few days back, when I was travelling to Hyderabad with one of my professors, we were forcibly charged and ill-treated by the FWO staff even after showing them our university employees’ card.

However, it’s not only a case of misbehaviour at the Hyderabad toll plaza, sometimes the FWO staff becomes violent. On May 9, they beat up some officials of the anti-terrorism squad at Tornol toll plaza in Islamabad. Interior Minister Nisar Chaudhry had ordered the Islamabad commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the matter, but it was buried.

Ali Raza Khoso

Jamshoro

Published in Dawn, October 8th , 2015

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