LAHORE: A spate of tragic road accidents across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the weekend claimed at least six lives, highlighting dangers ranging from driver fatigue to adverse weather conditions.
The most prominent incident occurred on Motorway M4 near Khanewal, where a passenger bus collided with a trailer. According to a Motorway Police spokesperson, the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel, leading to the crash. The bus, traveling from Lahore to Multan, resulted in the death of a bus hostess and left four passengers injured.
Separately, in Bahawalpur, a trailer struck a family on the Hasilpur Chishtian Road, killing two brothers and injuring their father. In yet another fatal collision, three people lost their lives when a passenger coach and a car crashed in Kohat.
These accidents coincide with a severe weather disruption in Punjab. Dense, heavy fog has drastically reduced visibility, prompting authorities to close a section of Motorway M5 from Multan to Zahir Pir until Monday as a safety precaution. The Motorway Police has issued advisories, urging citizens to exercise extreme caution, avoid unnecessary travel, and use fog lights if driving is essential.
The weekend’s carnage on the roads underscores a critical need for heightened safety measures. The M4 accident points to the peril of driver fatigue on long routes, while the fog-related closures demonstrate the impact of seasonal weather. Authorities are investigating the individual collisions as the death toll from Pakistan’s roads continues to rise alarmingly.
Meanwhile the Central Association of Traders Balochistan has thrown its full support behind the ongoing strike by goods transporters, warning of severe joint protests if the government fails to immediately withdraw the newly implemented Traffic Ordinance 2025.
The declaration came during a meeting on Friday between traders’ leaders and a delegation from the Balochistan Goods Truck Owners Association at the traders’ central secretariat.
