Police likely to frame charges on Tuesday

KARACHI: The Darakhshan police are scheduled to submit the charge sheet for the DHA accident in which four people were killed in court No. 12 of the Judicial Magistrate South on Sept 7, Tuesday.

The driver of the car, Saad Khan, posted Rs1.2 million in bail and was released earlier on. A car driven by Khan plowed into people waiting for a bus at the intersection of Khayaban-e-Shamsheer and Shujaat on Tuesday night. His ‘friend’ Munir Mengal, who was in the passenger seat does not face charges.

For their part, the family of one of the four victims has said that the police are not forthcoming about the progress in the case. “We have been treated unfairly,” said Sabiha’s father Shah Rehman while talking to Express News. “The law enforcers have not cooperated with us.” Neither the investigating officer in the case nor the SSP Investigations have been in touch.

“My wife was supposed to come home after work and was standing at the bus stop when the incident took place,” said Sabiha’s husband Aslam. One of her daughters, Aisha, said that she wanted the people responsible for her mother’s death to be punished. The families want justice.

According to SP Clifton Tariq Dharejo, the car was travelling at a high speed and turned towards the footpath near the bus stop, where Salma, Sabiha and two other people were waiting.

According to unconfirmed reports, the handling of the case has been affected by the fact that Khan is the son of an FIA deputy director, Sukkur. For example, Khan was asked to wait in the SHO’s room instead of being put in the lock-up as per regulation. Furthermore, the police did not take Khan or Mengal in for a medical examination, which would have been able to ascertain if it was a case of drunk driving or not. The police have yet to confirm whether Khan’s driving licence has checked out with the driving branch.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction



Correction: September 06, 2010

An unrelated photograph was mistakenly published with an incorrect caption in this article. The photo has been removed in the online edition.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2010.