Tag: motorway

  • PM Shehbaz expresses grief over tragic Motorway accident

    The collision between a passenger bus and an oil tanker left at least 20 people dead and six others injured on the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) at Jalalpur Peerwala interchange in the early hours of Tuesday, August 16. The ill-fated bus left from Lahore for Karachi at 9pm.

    Following the incident, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the incident and prayed for the deceased and their families.

    “I am saddened by the loss of 20 precious lives in the accident. My prayers are with the bereaved families,” he tweeted.

    Multan Commissioner Amir Khattak confirmed the development on Twitter. According to him, the tragic accident had taken place around 4am. He also shared photographs of the scene.

    However, a statement issued by Rescue 1122’s provincial monitoring centre in Lahore said the accident took place at 2:20am.

    A Motorway Police spokesperson revealed that the tanker was carrying thousands of litres of petrol. He added that the apparent cause of the accident was the bus driver falling asleep, reports Dawn.

    According to the Motorway Police, both vehicles the oil tanker and the bus caught fire soon after the collision. The officers of the Motorway Police immediately reached the spot after the accident took place. Local police and Rescue 1122 teams also reached the spot.

    The police added that the fire was so intense and terrifying that it was visible from a distance. At least nine passengers were safely rescued from the burning bus.

    According to the bus company sources, there were two drivers aboard the bus. All staff was to be changed in Sukkur. There were a total of 24 passengers on board. Two passengers were going to Hyderabad, while the others were en route to Karachi.

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi demanded a report on the incident from the Multan commissioner. He also expressed grief over the loss of lives.

  • ‘Gill tried to paint Motorway accident as murder’: Police

    ‘Gill tried to paint Motorway accident as murder’: Police

    Police arrested driver Wajahat Ali, whose car hit Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shahbaz Gill on M2 Motorway, ruling out allegations of a “planned attempt to target” him.

    As per Geo News, the Motorway Police said that the incident took place due to the negligence of Wajahat Ali and added that there was no planned attempt to harm Shahbaz Gill.

    “Gill tried to paint the incident as a murder attempt and did propaganda. After the driver’s interrogation and investigation of the crash site, it can be concluded that it was an accident,” said the police.

    A day earlier, Dr Shahbaz Gill sustained injuries in a vehicle accident on Thursday on the M2 Motorway.

    The PTI leader had claimed that it was an attempt to murder him in which a vehicle chased and hit his vehicle deliberately. 

    The former special assistant to ex-prime minister Imran Khan was travelling to Islamabad from Lahore. According to reports, Motorway Police officials arrived on the scene.

    Journalist Khawar Ghumman tweeted a video of the accident vehicle: “Initial evidence suggests his vehicle had been hit deliberately. Let’s see and wait what does motorway police say about the incident.”

  • Islamabad Traffic Police issues more than 28,000 challans to careless drivers

    During the last three months, the Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) handed 28,224 fine tickets to motorists who were negligent on the roads.

    As per Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Traffic, Rai Mazhar Iqbal, special squads have been formed on the directives of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad, Muhammad Ahsan Younas to deal with reckless drivers who endanger the lives of road users.

    He also instructed the officials that road users should be treated with respect.

    SSP Iqbal stated that all city personnel have been urged to take stern action against such offenders and to assure that the city’s roads are secure.

    Furthermore, he revealed that the ITP education wing has been directed to ensure renewed efforts in a bid to raise public awareness regarding traffic rules.

    Several students have joined ITP as traffic volunteers, therefore he directed ITP’s teams to visit educational institutions to build traffic sense among more students.

    According to the SSP Traffic, the goal of conducting action against irresponsible drivers is to safeguard their personal safety as well as the safety of others.

  • Construction work for Swat Motorway Phase-II to begin next week

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan will lay the foundation stone for Swat Motorway Phase-II in the next week.

    The CM instructed that development on the Dir Motorway project’s PC 1 for land acquisition be quickened so that practical work on the project can proceed.

    He was presiding over a meeting of the Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority to discuss the status of various road projects, including the Swat Motorway Phase II and the Dir Motorway.

    The meeting was informed on the status of Swat Motorway Phase II, which will be 88 km long and will be built at a cost of Rs58 billion and will run from Chakdara to Fatehpur. It was also revealed that a contractor deal for the project’s construction had been inked.

    It was revealed that Rs6.7 billion had been allocated for the project’s land acquisition. In addition, section four was implemented for the purchase of land.

    Project Plan

    Swat motorway will have four lanes at first and will be expanded to six lanes later. Chakdara Interchange, Shamozai Interchange, Barikot Interchange, Mingora Interchange, Kanju Interchange, Malam Jabba-University of Swat Interchange, Sher Palam Interchange, Matta Khawazakhela Interchange, and Madin-Fatehpur Interchange would be among the nine interchanges.

    On the Swat River, a total of eight bridges will be built. The project also includes the construction of four rest spots in various places, as well as the construction of connection highways if required.

    PHA officials briefed the meeting on Dir Motorway that an Expression of Interest for a 30 km long Dir Motorway from Chakdara to Rabat had been floated. Three interchanges, four flyovers, 24 bridges, two underpasses, and two tunnels will be part of this road project.

    These developments, according to the Chief Minister, would help boost tourism, trade, and economic operations, making them a “milestone” for the long-term growth of the Malakand division. These initiatives will also provide employment chances for locals in addition to improving transportation facilities.

  • No vaccine, no motorway

    The National Highways & Motorway Police (NHMP) have decided that after September 15, unvaccinated people will not be allowed to travel via motorway.

    Amid the current fourth wave of Covid-19, the government and its departments have speeded up vaccination efforts across the country.

    The NHMP announced on Thursday that people should “get ready” and “get vaccinated” before September 15 and have their vaccination certificates with them if they want to travel on the motorway.

    Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan announced the new restrictions for unvaccinated people.

    Umar said that a single dose of vaccine is necessary for travelling on the motorway after September 15. He added that after October, no one will be allowed to use the motorways without vaccination.

    The minister also said that unvaccinated people will not be allowed to use public transport after October 15.

    Earlier, it was also announced that vaccination for domestic air travel will be compulsory after September 30.

  • Motorway police introduces anti-sleep device for drivers

    In a bid to curb traffic accidents, the National Highways and Motorway Police has introduced an alarm-like device to keep drivers from falling asleep at the steering wheel, and claims that it will significantly reduce the rate of accidents on the motorway.

    The device is designed to be worn on their ears and has sensors that set off an alarm if and when a driver’s head tilts forward due to drowsiness. The alarm is a loud beep that sounds off near the ears of the driver. As reported by a motorway policeman who demonstrated the use of the device in a video, it actually costs Rs. 750 but will be made available for public use at Rs. 300 with the help of an unnamed donor.

    The policeman also informed the media that the department will introduce the device in coordination with the traders associations and local administrations. He added that roadside stalls will be placed in each area to sell the device to the public. The motorway police department affirmed that most of the accidents on the motorway are caused by drivers who fall asleep while driving, because of which hundreds of citizens lose their lives on a regular basis. It added that the new devices can be worn by both drivers and passengers to prevent such catastrophes.

  • Police arrest bus driver for playing video game while driving on motorway

    Police arrest bus driver for playing video game while driving on motorway

    A bus driver was caught on camera playing a video game while driving a fast-paced passenger carriage. The driver has been arrested by police and his license has been suspended.

    According to reports, a video did the rounds on social media a few days back wherein a bus driver was caught playing a video game as he drove the bus on the busy Karachi motorway.

    The video shows the driver driving at a considerably high speed on the motorway but his attention is being distracted by the video game. The Inspector-General of Motorway Police took notice of the incident after the video went viral and traced the alleged offender via technology.

    The police reportedly followed the driver, identified as Babar Khan, suspended his license and booked him on relevant charges.

    It was alleged that the driver risked not only the lives of the passengers on board but also of those on the road and showed criminal negligence as a deadly accident could have happened because of it. 

  • Sanam Saeed’s ‘Ab Buss’ takes inspiration from the motorway gang-rape incident

    Sanam Saeed’s ‘Ab Buss’ takes inspiration from the motorway gang-rape incident

    A new short film by YouTube channel See Prime titled Ab Buss starring Sanam Saeed in the lead takes inspiration from the horrible Lahore Motorway gang-rape incident that shook the nation earlier this year.

    The short film, written by Shahid Dogar and directed by Mohsin Talat, sends out a strong message on the subject. The plot of the film revolves around a woman who is taking extreme precautions while preparing for a trip to visit her father.

    “She knows she’s done it before and she can do it again – Maya packs for an unexpected trip as she gets a phone call,” reads the film’s official synopsis.

    Sanam has been a vocal advocate for women’s safety and empowerment. Earlier in September, the actor also took Twitter to demand castration as punishment for rapists.

    “Why hang them when we can castrate them? Why let them go so easily when they can live with the pain, shame, and guilt without their genitals,” she had written.

    She had further asserted that there should be zero tolerance for such heinous acts.

  • Dr Shahbaz Gill hits out at Frieha Altaf, Sarwat Gilani, calls them ‘pathetic elite’

    Dr Shahbaz Gill hits out at Frieha Altaf, Sarwat Gilani, calls them ‘pathetic elite’

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill has hit out at Frieha Altaf and Sarwat Gilani, referring to them as ‘badbakht elite’ after a video of theirs on their way to the celebrity protest went viral on social media.

    In the video, Sarwat and Frieha are telling their followers that they are on their way to the protest to demand justice for the motorway gang-rape victim and show a poster which reads ‘Rapped’ instead of ‘Raped’.

    Besides Dr Gill, several other social media users have called out the actors for being insensitive.

    Some social media users also directly called out Altaf and reminded users of problematic things she has done in the past.

    While Frieha and Sarwat are yet to respond to Dr Gill’s comments, Sarwat earlier clarified that a second protest was held because “a lot of celebrities were busy with work on the first protest’s date, [so] we decided to get out a day when most of us were available.” According to details, the protest was organised by Yasir Hussain, Frieha Altaf and Asim Jofa.

    Sarwat has now made her Twitter account private and only those who follow her can view her tweets.

    Meanwhile, fashion designer Maheen Khan, who was also part of the protest, also responded to some users who questioned why the celebrities felt the need to organise a separate protest. She also addressed the allegations that they hijacked the transgender’s protest.

    Other celebrities present at the protest include Mahira Khan, Sarah Khan, Ayesha Omar, Adnan Siddiqui, Ali Rehman Khan, Aijaz Aslam, Bushra Ansari, Anoushey Abbasi and Gul-e-Rana.

  • Bushra Ansari urges Maulana Tariq Jamil to break silence over motorway gang-rape

    Bushra Bashir, formerly known as Bushra Ansari, has urged Maulana Tariq Jamil to break his silence over the motorway gang rape and hold a ‘dharna‘ or ‘ihtejaj‘ (protest) in this regard.

    In a social media post, the actor wrote: “Thinking what to ask and what to think.”

    “Just want the rapist to be alive, not to be hanged. They should live the rest of their lives, with the pain and helplessness with broken legs broken arms and without the organs which destroy women and their souls,” she continued.

    “I demand and strongly demand to cut and throw their sickness tools and make them impotent and break their legs and hands so that they just become a symbol for all others who are going to do this today tomorrow or day after. Because they will keep doing this until they don’t see these results,” said the actor, adding that they should be made an example out of.

    Bashir then went onto say that she has had enough.

    “Islam ki bohat [baatein] karty hain toh practical banain. Aankh k badly aankh, toh izzat or zilat k badley zilat.”

    Addressing Maulana Tariq Jamil, Bushra said: “Please Maulana Tariq Jameel, koi dharna, koi ihtejaj aap bhi toh karain. Aap ki yahaan bohat zuroorat hai. Boliye please.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFEGUS9hkmu/

    Read more – Bushra Ansari lashes out at fan for criticising her drama ‘Zebaish’

    Later the actor also said that those who are protecting the criminals should also be punished for doing so.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CFFM1cEBkVD/

    Meanwhile, as per the latest reports, the police have identified one of the suspects behind the gruesome incident that shook the nation. The individual, namely Abid Ali is a resident of Haroonabad town of Punjab’s Bahawalnagar district, is a proclaimed offender, and has been nominated in multiple cases earlier as well. While Ali is still at large, the other suspect identified by the Punjab government Waqarul Hassan reportedly surrendered himself on Sunday at Lahore’s Model Town police station. He claimed that his brother-in-law was using the mobile phone which had wrongly implicated him in the crime, adding that he himself was not involved. The police have said that they will conclude the matter after they receive the DNA report of the suspect.