In Pakistan’s Balochistan province, thousands die on ‘killer roads’ each year 

A general view of signs along a highway leading to Gwadar, Pakistan, April 12, 2017 (REUTERS)
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Updated 29 March 2021
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In Pakistan’s Balochistan province, thousands die on ‘killer roads’ each year 

  • Provincial chief of motorways says 6,000 to 8,000 people are killed every year in road accidents in the impoverished province
  • Absence of dual carriageways, inadequate driver training and sparse patrolling are main factors for huge number of road deaths in Balochistan

KARACHI: In Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, between 6,000 to 8,000 people die each year in accidents on single-lane roads nicknamed ‘killer highways’ that spread over thousands of miles, according to the provincial police chief of motorways.
Balochistan, a mountainous, desert region bordering Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, with a staggering 40,000-kilometer network of road infrastructure. It is also the epicenter of the $64 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a road and infrastructure development plan that aims to ultimately provide the shortest route for Chinese cargo headed for the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.
Major roads are slated for construction under CPEC, including the road from Balochistan’s Khuzdar district to the Chinese-funded, deepwater port of Gwadar.
But for now, the absence of dual carriageways, inadequate training of drivers and lack of patrolling mean thousands continue to die on Balochistan’s roads each year.
“Roads accidents kill between 6,000 to 8,000 people annually in Balochistan,” Balochistan’s Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Motorway Police, Ali Sher Jakhrani, told Arab News. “The highways of Balochistan are killing more people than terrorism has been killing in the entire country during its peak.”
“We have been rightly spending billions of rupees to fight terrorism,” he added. “But how much do we spend on protecting the thousands who lose their lives in traffic accidents in Balochistan province?”




Activists march to raise awareness about road safety on the eve of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Quetta, Pakistan, on November 15, 2022 (Photo courtesy: Balochistan Youth and Civil Society)

According to the National Road Safety Strategy 2018-2030, a report administered by the Asian Development Bank and citing police data, 6,548 people had died at the scene of an accident on Pakistan’s roads in 2016, of which 355 fatalities happened on national highways and 6,003 on provincial roads.
“In Pakistan, 9 out of every 10 fatalities occurs on a provincial road,” the report said. “There is general agreement that these figures are a significant under-estimate, with the highest level of under-reporting on provincial roads.”
According to figures compiled by another source, a local NGO called the Balochistan Youth and Civil Society (BYCS), in the last six months, 744 people were killed and 8,157 wounded in 5,451 road accidents in the province.
Najeeb Yousaf Zehri, the 28-year-old founder of BYCS, started campaigning for wider roads in the province after an over-speeding truck collided with his car on a single lane highway as he drove his family to Khuzdar from Quetta in 2013.
“I still remember the noise of silence in my ears,” Zehri said. “My head was bleeding and my eyes were full of mud.”




Activists march to raise awareness about road safety on the eve of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Quetta, Pakistan, on November 15, 2022 (Photo courtesy: Balochistan Youth and Civil Society)

Data collection was the most painstaking part of his job, Zehri said, and in the absence of a centralized data bank on road accidents in the province, he had to gather figures from several sources: newspapers, Edhi centers, local journalists, medical relief centers and hospitals.
A Balochistan government spokesman, Liaquat Shahwani, told Arab News that the province was now taking steps to ensure road safety, which included making the Quetta-Karachi highway into a dual carriageway.
“Bids have been invited for a feasibility study by the federal government,” Shahwani said, adding that the Zhob to Quetta highway and eleven more intercity roads would also be constructed soon.
The Balochistan government has also decided to install trackers in buses to control speeding, Shahwani said, with 14 medical emergency response centers set up.
But promises to improve road safety have been made before, without resources being diverted, the provincial motorways’ chief said.
The federal minister for communications, Murad Saeed, did not respond to queries by Arab News.




Activists march to raise awareness about road safety on the eve of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims in Quetta, Pakistan, on November 15, 2022 (Photo courtesy: Balochistan Youth and Civil Society)

“We get 25 percent of what other provinces get for patrolling [roads],” Jakhrani said, adding that motorway police in the province only had eleven percent enforcement on highways from sunrise to sunset due to a lack of human and monetary resources.
“Motorway police can cover only 300-kilometer distance of the 813-kilometer long Regional Cooperation for Development Highway (RCD) that starts from Karachi and ends at the Chaman border,” he said. “And we only have enforcement on 150-kilometer of the 653-kilometer long NA-10, the highway connecting Karachi with Gwadar.”




Activists hold a vigil to remember victims of traffic accidents in Quetta, Pakistan, on November 15, 2022 (Photo courtesy: Balochistan Youth and Civil Society)

Global best practices call for a 14-hour rule for drivers of commercial vehicles, with a mandatory break after an eight hour stretch of driving.
But there is no way to patrol thousands of kilometers of Balochistan’s massive road networks with the province’s limited police manpower.
“Especially on the Quetta-Karachi road, the drivers drive for up to 72 hours without any proper rest,” Jakhrani said. “The drivers are untrained and they learn only from the accidents at a huge human cost.”


Pakistan police say four militants killed in operation in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan

Updated 01 June 2025
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Pakistan police say four militants killed in operation in Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan

  • The operation in DG Khan was launched on intelligence reports about militant movement near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border
  • Pakistan is currently battling twin insurgencies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which Punjab’s DG Khan district borders

ISLAMABAD: Police killed four militants in a successful operation in Dera Ghazi Khan district of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.

The Dera Ghazi Khan, or DG Khan, district borders the southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where Pakistan has been battling twin insurgencies.

The operation was conducted in DG Khan’s Kot Mubarak area and the law enforcers recovered a sizeable cache of heavy weapons and ammunition from the site of the encounter.

“The swift and effective action of the police teams thwarted the terrorists’ nefarious plans,” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported, citing officials.

“Inspector General of Punjab Police Dr. Usman Anwar commended the efforts of the Dera Ghazi Khan Police and said the Punjab police stand as a strong barrier against anti-state elements.”

Pakistan is currently battling twin insurgencies: one led by religiously motivated groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), mainly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the other by ethno-nationalist Baloch separatist groups in Balochistan.

Militants often seek refuge in border areas of neighboring provinces amid intensifying counter-insurgency operations in KP and Balochistan.

The operation in DG Khan was launched on intelligence reports about militant movement near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border, the APP news agency reported, citing a police spokesman.

“Some suspects fled using cover from bushes and mounds,” it said. “A search-and-sweep operation is ongoing to track them down.”
 


Pakistan Navy conducts exercise to counter sub-conventional, asymmetric threats to major ports

Updated 01 June 2025
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Pakistan Navy conducts exercise to counter sub-conventional, asymmetric threats to major ports

  • The exercise comes weeks after Pakistani and India air and ground forces engaged in a four-day military conflict that killed 70 people
  • Reports suggests an Indian aircraft carrier maneuvered toward Karachi, but Pakistan Navy kept it confined to Indian territorial waters

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy has conducted a comprehensive two-day exercise to counter sub-conventional and asymmetric threats to all major ports and harbors, its Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) said on Sunday, weeks after a four-day standoff with India.

While air forces and armies of both countries traded jet, drone, missile and artillery strikes last month, the two navies did not reportedly engage each other during the four-day standoff.

Media reports, however, suggested that Indian aircraft carrier Vikrant had maneuvered toward the southern Pakistani port city of Karachi, but Pakistan Navy kept it confined to the Indian territorial waters.

The DGPR said on Sunday the naval exercise was aimed at validating and refining Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) to ensure robust defense of critical maritime infrastructure against “evolving” asymmetrical threats.

“The exercise involved coordinated operations by PN (Pakistan Navy) Fleet units, Pakistan Marines, SSG (Special Services Group of Navy) and Naval Aviation assets,” it said in a statement.

“The exercise’s scenarios were designed to simulate a range of sub-conventional threats including sabotage, infiltration and unconventional attacks, enabling participating units to enhance inter-agency coordination, situational awareness and rapid response capabilities.”

During the exercise, Pakistan Coast Commander Rear Admiral Faisal Amin visited various operational setups at ports and harbors and witnessed live action simulations carried out by participating units.

“COMCOAST appreciated high level of preparedness and professional conduct demonstrated during the exercises,” the DGPR said.

“He emphasized the importance of maritime installations and added that secure functioning of ports and harbors is directly linked to national economic stability and growth.”


Haris hits maiden hundred as Pakistan whitewash Bangladesh

Updated 01 June 2025
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Haris hits maiden hundred as Pakistan whitewash Bangladesh

  • Haris, playing in his 17th T20I, carted seven sixes and eight boundaries in his 107 off just 46 balls
  • Pakistan chased down 197 runs in 17.2 overs for their first home T20I series win in over three years

LAHORE: Mohammad Haris hit a swashbuckling maiden international century to guide Pakistan to a 3-0 clean sweep of Bangladesh with a seven-wicket win in the third and final Twenty20 international in Lahore on Sunday.

Haris, playing in his 17th T20I, carted seven sixes and eight boundaries in his 107 off just 46 balls as Pakistan chased down a challenging 197-run target in 17.2 overs for their first home T20I series win in three-and-a-half years.

Pakistan won the first two matches by 37 and 57 runs at the same venue.

Bangladesh’s Litton Das (right) with teammates walk off the field on the end of the third Twenty20 cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 1, 2025. (AP)

Parvez Hossain smashed four sixes and seven boundaries in his solid 34-ball 66 to lift Bangladesh to 196-6 in their 20 overs.

Pakistan lost Sahibzada Farhan for one in the first over but Haris, whose hundred came up off 45 balls, added 92 for the second wicket with Saim Ayub and an unbroken 60 for the fourth with Salman Agha who made 15 not out.

Ayub hit four sixes and two boundaries in his 29-ball 45 while Hasan Nawaz scored 13-ball 26 as the home batters enthralled a near-capacity 30,000 crowd at Gaddafi Stadium.

Bangladesh’s Litton Das (right) with teammates walk off the field on the end of the third Twenty20 cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 1, 2025. (AP)

Earlier, Parvez shared a 110-run opening stand with Tanzid Hasan (32-ball 42 with three sixes and as many boundaries) after the tourists were sent in to bat.

The Parvez-Tanzid stand gave Bangladesh an ideal start for their highest T20I total against Pakistan beating the 175-6 they made against them at Pallekele in 2012.

Bangladesh’s Tanzid Hasan Tamim (right) plays a shot as Pakistan’s Mohammad Haris watches during the third Twenty20 cricket match between Pakistan and Bangladesh, in Lahore, Pakistan, on June 1, 2025. (AP)

Towhid Hridoy, who scored 25 from 18 balls with a six and two boundaries, then added 49 for the third wicket with Litton Das who made 22.

Fast bowlers Abbas Afridi (2-26) and Hasan Ali (2-38) were the pick of the home bowlers.


Pakistan reaffirms commitment to macroeconomic stability as Ipsos survey shows rising consumer trust

Updated 01 June 2025
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Pakistan reaffirms commitment to macroeconomic stability as Ipsos survey shows rising consumer trust

  • The latest Ipsos survey revealed that 42% Pakistanis now believe the country is heading in the right direction
  • The development comes amid stabilization of key indicators, including inflation, exchange rate and forex reserves

KARACHI: Pakistan on Sunday reaffirmed its commitment to macroeconomic stability after Ipsos, a Paris-based global market research and consultation firm, said consumer confidence grew in the South Asian country in the second quarter of this year.

The Ipsos survey revealed a significant surge in consumer confidence, with 42% of Pakistanis now believing the country is heading in the right direction — the highest level recorded in six years.

Perceptions of the economy being strong reached their most favorable levels since August 2019, and optimism overtook pessimism that marked a key psychological shift among the population, according to the survey.

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said the “encouraging” data reflected the success of his government’s disciplined and targeted macroeconomic strategy implemented over the last 14 months.

“He highlighted that consumer confidence in making major purchases and investments has doubled compared to the same period last year, indicating that households are beginning to feel more secure in their financial prospects. Similarly, confidence in job security is now at its highest since 2019, a sign that

labor market conditions are gradually stabilizing in response to pro-growth policies and reforms,” the finance ministry said.

“Senator Aurangzeb reaffirmed that the government remains committed to maintaining macroeconomic stability, accelerating structural reforms, and ensuring that economic growth translates into real and inclusive progress for all citizens.”

The development comes amid stabilization of key economic indicators, including inflation, exchange rate, foreign exchange reserves and fiscal discipline, that has led a renewed public trust in Pakistan, which is currently on path to economic recovery under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program secured in Sept. last year.

Aurangzeb pointed out that this upswing in consumer confidence spans across urban and rural areas, and is particularly evident among youth and women, demonstrating the broad-based nature of the economic turnaround.

He linked this optimism to sustained government efforts to create an enabling environment to enhance private sector growth, exports, social protection and financial inclusion.

“The findings of the IPSOS survey are a timely validation of Pakistan’s economic direction and a clear signal that the country is on a steady path toward recovery and resilience,” the minister said.


India arrests 81 for ‘sympathizing’ with Pakistan

Updated 01 June 2025
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India arrests 81 for ‘sympathizing’ with Pakistan

  • There has been a clampdown on social media since an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir
  • New Delhi blamed Pakistan for backing the militants it said carried out the attack, Islamabad denies the allegation

GUWAHATI: Indian police have arrested scores of people for “sympathizing” with Pakistan, a month after the worst conflict between the arch-rivals for decades, a top government official said Sunday.

The arrests took place in the northeastern state of Assam, where Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said “81 anti-nationals are now behind bars for sympathizing with Pak.”

Sarma, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist ruling party, said in a statement “our systems are constantly tracking anti-national posts on social media and taking actions.”

One of the persons was arrested after he posted a Pakistani flag on his Instagram, Assam police told AFP.

No further details about other arrests were given.

There has been a wider clampdown on social media since an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, the deadliest on civilians in the contested Muslim-majority territory in decades.

New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing the militants it said carried out the attack, charges that Pakistan denied.

India and Pakistan then fought a four-day conflict, their worst standoff since 1999, before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10.

India’s counter-terrorism agency last month arrested a paramilitary police officer for allegedly spying for Pakistan, while authorities have arrested at least 10 other people on espionage charges in May, according to local media.

Sarma is also pushing efforts to stem the contentious issue of illegal immigration.

Assam shares a long and porous border with neighboring Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Indian media have reported that Assam’s government has allegedly rounded up dozens of alleged Bangladeshis in the past month and taken them to the frontier to cross.

The Times of India newspaper on Saturday reported that Assam was “dumping them in no-man’s land,” suggesting that at least 49 had been pushed back between May 27-29 alone.

The Assam government has not commented on the reports.

Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy, after the Dhaka government was toppled in an uprising last year.

Bangladesh has also moved closer to China, as well as to Pakistan.