Hafeezur Rahman. PHOTO: FILE
Rahman continued to hold Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P)Chief Minister Pervez Khattak responsible for the plight of passengers travelling between G-B and Rawalpindi via Karakoram Highway (KKH).
Matter of inconvenience
A mandatory convoy system has been in place, set by the K-P government, which requires 50 to 100 vehicles travelling from G-B to Shangla to move together with law-enforcement personnel between 8 am till 4 pm. Recently, many passengers have reported cases of misconduct on the part of policemen. In addition to rundown roads, the convoy system with its restrictions makes a 15-hour-journey stretch to about 23 hours.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Hafeezur Rahman said, “Passengers are at risk mostly in Kohistan which falls within the jurisdiction of K-P. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the K-P government to resolve this issue.”
Proposed resolutions
Rahman said he had asked K-P chief minister to provide police vehicles to escort buses in Kohistan as is the norm in G-B but has not received any response yet. “I brought this point to Khattak’s notice in the presence of Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar but [the K-P CM] has paid no heed to the matter whatsoever.”
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who visited G-B this week, was asked to appoint a police force like the one reserved for the motorway to increase security.
“The PM agreed to grant our request and a force comprising 1,500 policemen will provide a safe passage to buses en route to Mansehra from G-B,” he said.
KKH is the main highway connecting G-B with the rest of the country and even a minor incident makes travel a troublesome journey.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 17th, 2015.
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