I am writing to express my sincere concerns over Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani’s recent column regarding his unfortunate road accident. It was extremely unsettling to learn about his harrowing experience of being overlooked by passers-by even in such a compelling situation. This alone speaks volumes about the erosion of selflessness and empathy in our society. While Dr Vankwani highlights pertinent concerns regarding the lack of road safety measures and growing apathy, I believe a deeper and more complex issue drives people to become reluctant to lend a hand, which is nothing but the fear of becoming a target of fraudulent activities and violent crimes.
In today’s world, numerous cases are reported every day, explaining how people end up getting lured into seemingly innocent situations and getting their goodwill exploited. In consequence, the instinct to help is naturally overshadowed by skepticism, causing the genuine accidents to be misinterpreted as well. In the first seven months of 2024 in Karachi, a total of 44,000 crime cases were reported, involving car theft, extortion, mobile snatching and kidnapping for ransom. Hence, it is no surprise that our community has grown desensitised to the crisis of others. This unfortunate reality continues to exacerbate, signaling at the lack of laws that protect good Samaritans.
This underscores the need for reforms and efforts to restore trust within our society. In order to eradicate this issue, public awareness campaigns are needed that can emphasise road safety measures and reassure citizens that their compassion will not harm them. The government must introduce and implement good Samaritan laws that offer legal protection and reward to those who come to the aid of others in emergencies. I hope that together we can rebuild trust and benevolence in our society.
Sarah Khan
Islamabad
