‘Killer’ Karachi-Quetta Highway kills more people than terrorism [WATCH]

The accidents at the N-25 National Highway, which extends between Karachi and Chaman, have surpassed terrorism in terms of deadline during the last decade.

The 813 km (505-mile) long, single-lane highway, which passes through 10 major cities like Bela, Kalat, Khuzdar, and Quetta, is now locally known as “the killer road,” as over 800 accidents took place here last year alone.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, nearly 4,000 people have died in road accidents in Balochistan, compared to 2,238 citizens killed in terrorist attacks in the province during the last decade. Independent monitors and local media, though, put the death toll in accidents way higher, at the figure of around 8,000.

The Balochistan Youth and Civil Society, an NGO striving for extension of highways to reduce the growing number of accidents in the province, stated,  “It’s a bigger problem than terrorism in Balochistan.”

A joint investigation team was formed by the provincial government to look into the major factors behind the increase in the number of accidents. They noted that the traffic officials lack tools to monitor the fitness and speed limit of over 8,000 vehicles passing through the highway daily.

To make things worse, two buses cannot go past each other, and drivers are often unable to see ahead on the sharp-edged curves due to the mountainous nature of the area.

Sanaullah Baloch, the leader of The Balochistan National Party, struck a six-point agreement with The PTI after the 2018 elections to form the government. Their top priority was the expansion of Balochistan’s road network, especially the Chaman-Karachi Highway.

The federal government had allocated 500 million Pakistani rupees ($3.1 million) for the groundwork of a viability report to improve the road network in the province. “But unfortunately, nothing substantial has so far happened,” Baloch lamented.

The highway was constructed back in the regime of Sardar Attaullah Mengal, the then CM of Balochistan and was a pact between Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey under the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO). The highway was previously known as the Regional Cooperation Development Highway (RCD Highway).

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