What do ordinary motorists do in such a situation?
KARACHI: On September 6, after heavy rains, all the major roads of Karachi witnessed massive traffic jams for hours. Not only did these cause major delays and fuel shortages, but many of the people who were in their vehicles were also robbed, during the jam.
Many were robbed of their cash, mobile phones and other valuables by organised armed gangs. These gangs did their dastardly deeds with impunity because no law-enforcement personnel were to be found anywhere that evening.
Four days later, the city again received heavy rain. I was held up in traffic for a good four hours, and again, I saw armed gangs of boys roaming around freely between cars, robbing their occupants of cash and other valuables. The places where these gangs are found are on the Natha Khan bridge, the Baloch Colony flyover area, Nursery, Kalapul, Punjab colony, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Rashid Minhas Road (especially near the Millenum Mall), Manghopir Road bridge over the Lyari river, Lasbela and Essa Nagar.
So what do ordinary motorists do in such a situation?
Ahmad Haroon Husain
Published in The Express Tribune, September 13th, 2011.
