Due to the high rates of accidents and fatalities on Quetta Karachi Highway. This road in Province Balochistan has now been informally named Bloody Highway.
There are 05 highways in Balochistan which have the status of highway.
According to the data of the Medical Emergency Response Center (1122) in Quetta City. Out of 28,646 minor road accidents that occurred on five highways from October 2019 to March 2023. 18,096 accidents occurred on the roads of Quetta. Karachi highway in which a total of 787 people were killed. 38759 were killed while the number of injured was 38759.
Travel on Quetta Karachi highway to know the causes of road accidents.
Until the 1980s: The Quetta-Karachi highway was in a bad condition. Due to which the speed of vehicles traveling on this highway was usually low. But from the mid nineties the reconstruction of this highway was started.
The distance from Quetta to Karachi is 750 km
1st we traveled approximately 200 kilometers from Karachi, to the site of the bus accident in Lasbela district. During which we saw a large number of vehicles on the highway.
Not only a large number of passenger vehicles ply on this highway. But also large vehicles of the Afghan transit trade, besides tractor trolleys, motorcycles and donkey carts.
Passenger coach accidents on the Quetta Karachi highway are not only high. But they also have the highest loss of human life and the highest rate of injuries as compared to other vehicles accidents on road.
Since in case of accidents of passenger coaches the biggest loss is the passengers. So for this purpose we traveled in a passenger coach from Lak Pass, area of Mastung district near Quetta towards Karachi to find out the passenger coaches. What do the passengers who travel in consider the cause of these accidents?
Is having a single person driver in passenger coaches also a problem?
Most of the people claim that the drivers of public transport plying here are high speeding.
People Opinions: It is also a common opinion that the owners of passenger coaches try to have only one driver for such a large route to save money.
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In this regard, it is more said that sometimes the same driver gets tired when he does not get enough time to rest. Which results in him handing over the vehicles, to his less trained assistants which results in Accidents happen.
DIG Motorway Police: Mr Tahir Alauddin Kasi also said that when a passenger coach coming from Chaman was stopped. It was being driven by an assistant who did not even have a driving license yet.
He more said that a formal case was registered against him, which is the 1st case of its kind.
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However: Driver Mr Mohammad Karim did not agree that long route passenger coaches have only one driver. He also said that the bus he is running has minimum two drivers and the drivers get adequate rest.
What are the reason causes of fire after accidents in vehicles?
Other vehicles including passenger coaches. Often catch fire after an accident, resulting in extensive damage.
There is also an opinion in this regard that because Iranian oil is smuggled through different vehicles in Balochistan. In which fire breaks out in the event of an accident.
A few years ago: A passenger coach traveling from Blochistan Makran to Karachi caught fire due to the presence of smuggled oil. Due to which the passengers in the bus were burnt to death.
However: the driver Mr Mohammad Karim disagreed and also said that due to the accident. the fire broke out due to the electric wires in the vehicles.
Highway Establishment of control room among other measures.
Apart from monitoring the speed of passenger coaches through trackers. Mobile cameras are also installed on highways. DIG Motorways Mr Tahir Alauddin Kasi also said that the speed of passenger coaches is monitored through a control room on highways.
He claimed that since trackers have-been installed in passenger buses on the Quetta-Karachi highway. There has-been a reduction in accidents.
He said also that our effort is to install trackers system from Quetta to Islamabad via Zhob and make them a no accident zone.
In the Motorway Police control room, we were shown an ear mounted device system that is being distributed free of charge.
According to Mr Tahir Alauddin this device has such a Tracking system that in the case of falling asleep. As soon as the head is lowered, the alarm goes off in the device.
What is the position of National Highways Authority about accidents?
Most of the people in Balochistan Province are of the opinion that single track road is the main cause of accidents. On this highway and the federal government of Pakistan is being heavily criticized for not making it double track road.
Being a national highway, the Quetta-Karachi Highway is managed by the National Highways Authority.
In this regard: We went to the NHA officials in Quetta City and they said that the main reason for the accidents was non implementation of the rules.
General Manager National Highways North Mr Agha Inayatullah also said that these accidents, can be controlled By installing trackers in buses and enforcing the rules. He also said that the project to double track this highway has started at a cost of 400 billion rupees.
He more said that the price of a tracker can be from 10 thousand to 100,000 rupees. By installing the sensor passenger buses, can be stopped at high speed, but instead of spending a small amount. The country that is facing financial difficulties will spend 400 billion rupees.
The owners of the passenger coaches have also denied the allegation.
In the Highways Motorway Police, Sector Commander of Sector Three in Kalat: SP Muhammad Yasir who has-been performing duties on the same highway for a long time. He said untrained drivers were the main cause of accidents.
Drivers who are not trained to drive on the highways: When they drive on the highways they get into accidents for one reason or another.
What did the passengers say about accident?
During the bus journey, we spoke to Mr Salahuddin a passenger from Quetta. Who travels between Quetta and Karachi a lot mostly in passenger coaches.
Mr Salahuddin also said that the main reason for the accidents is the single track of this highway. And more said that there is a lot of traffic on it which is causing these accidents. Also called their negligence as a reason.
He more said that sometimes drivers also use mobile phones system while traveling which is not appropriate at all.
The miracle of Mr Sharifullah two children survival and the accusation of speeding on the passenger coaches.
We went to the area of Blochistan Lasbela district adjacent to Khuzdar district to the spot where the passenger coach fell down after hitting the bridge on 29 January.
After falling down several feet at high speed and then catching fire in it. Seeing the condition of the passenger coach, it was not at all believed that there would be any person left in it. But two of Mr Sharifullah were in it. Five people including children survived.
The 2 miraculously survived children are the sons of Mr Hayat ullah and Mr Wahid ullah Sharifullah. In which Hayat ullah is 2 years old and Wahid ullah is 11 years old.
Mr Waheed ullah told us in the presence of his father that before her death. His mother had pushed his infant brother Hayat ullah khan out of the broken window of the coach.
According to him: When the accident happened for a moment my brain stopped working, and it seemed that I was dead. I saw a small hole in the bus through which I managed to get out.
When I came out: I saw two or 3 people including the driver and my younger brother Mr Hayat ullah lying outside the bus. My brother was crying and I picked him up and started going towards the road so that I could stop the vehicles & bring people to the coach for help because it falls into the ditch and no 1 can see it from the road.
How can I not cry over the sudden death of my son and the head of the house?
Mr Imtiaz Shah mother has not forgotten the grief of her son death even today.
At Mr Imtiaz Shah house: We met his old mother and 2 daughters who have not forgotten the grief of this sudden death even after 6 months.
Speaking to Reporter Mr Imtiaz Shah mother also said that My relatives forbid me to cry and say that I should not cry. How can I not cry? He was my eldest son. The head of the house and my support.
He more said that the brutal driver of the passenger coach that crushed his sons and others had escaped. On the day my son was leaving. I could not send him off. If I had known he was going to get laid forever, I would have kissed him and also said good bye. It is not known whether my son may have said Allah at the time of the accident he may have called his mother & it is not known what he may have said.
Pakistan Bloody Highway: The daughter relationship was to be settled, on her return from Karachi but her burnt body returned home.
During the last three and a half years 477 people have died. As a result of traffic accidents on the Quetta Karachi highway.
My only daughter was the darling of the whole family. On her return from Karachi. Her relationship was to be settled but she could not return alive but her burnt body returned home.
This is the statement of Mr Haji Sharifullah from Quetta. The capital of Balochistan whose four family members were killed in an accident involving. A passenger coach on Quetta-Karachi Highway in Blochistan Lasbela district on 29 January this year. A total of 43 people died in this accident most of whose bodies were unrecognizable due to burns.
Although this accident was one of the major traffic accidents in the history of Balochistan in terms of casualties. Traffic accidents have become a routine on this highway. This can be estimated from the fact that during the last 3 and a half years. Out of the 787 people who died in traffic accidents on five highways in Balochistan 477 people died on the same highway.
The Quetta-Karachi highway is now also known as the Bloody Highway due to accidents of this nature & the resulting mass casualties.
Delayed the matter of daughter relationship due to going to Karachi.
Mr Haji Sharif wife daughter and 2 sons were killed in a passenger bus accident on 29 january.
At Haji Sharif house: we also met his two children who miraculously survived the road accident.
Talking about his daughter: He also said that my only daughter was the most dear to the whole family. She was going to Karachi for the 1st time with her siblings. A few days before going to Karachi people came for my daughter relationship. So I told them that she is going to Karachi with her mother and will talk about the relationship on her return. But now she is no longer in the world.
Among the families who were victims of the accident on this highway. One family belongs to Mr Syed Imtiaz Shah a former hockey player from Quetta Blochistan.
We went to the house of mr Imtiaz Shah on Faqir Mohammad Road who lost his life in an accident on the Quetta Karachi highway in Kalat area along with 03 other senior players in October last year.
Three other former players killed in the accident were Mr Mujahid Islam Butt, Abdul Mir Ali Kurd and Rahim Durrani.
Senior official of Balochistan Hockey Association Mr Syed Amin also said that these four players were our assets who went to Khuzdar to take trial of hockey players in connection with Prime Minister talent hunt program.
He Also said that while returning: His car was hit by a passenger coach. As a result of which all four persons died on the spot.
