IT is clear to any person who has visited the Swat valley in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that the provincial government is largely apathetic – I would like to specifically highlight the road issue in the region, which imperils and inconveniences commuters daily.

For example, there is no systematic route from Mingora to Saidu. Those wishing to go to Saidu have to travel further beyond their destination before making their way back, for lack of a proper stopping point at Saidu. Traffic policemen compound the issue by preventing commuters from stopping at their intended destination.

The provincial government needs to build interval stops, just like bus stops in metropolitan areas, for pickups and rickshaws to be able to stop and drop passengers whose intended destination is Saidu, instead of forcing them to be inconvenienced. This will doubly benefit commuters as proper stopping points will reduce the frequency of illegally parked vehicles that currently pose a safety problem on the road.

Junaid Ibrahim

Saidu Sharif

Published in Dawn September 1st, 2016