Recently, the Expo Centre in Karachi, as in previous years, hosted the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar 2022 (IDEAS 2022). Opportunities for Pakistan to hold international events are too rare to pass up. But the planning and preparation for such events must improve. Security around the Expo Centre was tight, as it should be, with several roads leading to and from the area being blocked. Sadly, the authorities failed to circulate an alternative route plan for ordinary commuters in a timely and appropriate fashion, leading to much uncertainty and chaos on the roads as IDEAS 2022 kicked-off.
The public has to take a long hard look at itself too. We tend to aggravate such situations by not obeying normal traffic rules. People go the wrong way or try to take turns where they are not supposed to in order to find a short cut and save some time. In doing so, they are not only endangering themselves and other motorists but also holding up the traffic and wasting even more time. Holding international events is a privilege and one of the few chances this country has to shine; they should not become a nuisance. The relevant authorities and the public have to do better.
Zuhair Ali Khan
Karachi