KARACHI: Two A' Level students, Sarah Kasim, 17, and Muhammad Humayun Zia, 18, were killed in a road accident on Khayaban-e-Ittehad on Friday afternoon at roughly 2pm.
The car (ALM-909) that Humayun was driving hit an electric pole just after the Sakina Sultan masjid signal on the main road. The car then collided with some bricks lying on the roadside near a bungalow which damaged its front severely.
The car was coming from the wrong side, and according to the police and witnesses, the accident took place due to over-speeding. There were no tyre screech marks on the roads, said a witness. When the rescue team arrived at the scene, the two bodies were lying on the road.
"The car was speeding but I don't understand why they were driving on the wrong side of the road," said the guard at a nearby bungalow.
Humayun's friends believe someone was coming after them.
"Some miscreants suddenly began chasing their car," said Hashim Asif, one of Humayun's school friends. "In his attempt to escape, Humayun steered the car to the wrong side of the road and accelerated the speed up to 120 kilometres per hour and lost control."
A sub-inspector at Darakhshan police station, Safdar, told The Express Tribune that the driver seemed to have lost control of the vehicle. "He was not a good driver according to his family and he possibly lost control when the car accelerated," he said.
The teenage boy was wearing shalwar kameez while the girl was wearing her school uniform. "It seems the boy was dropping the girl to her house after school," the policeman said. "It was just an accident and I don't think they were being chased by anyone," Safdar clarified.
Sarah died on the spot and her body was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where Humayun was also taken for treatment in critical condition. The staff at JPMC said they were very upset when they saw the bodies of the young students. "We see several cases every day but this accident shook everyone," said JPMC joint-director Dr Seemin Jamali.
Later, Humayun was taken to Aga Khan Hospital, where he also succumbed to his injuries. According to the police and hospital sources, he was the only son of his parents.
Sarah had recently joined Nixor College for A' Levels while Humayun had joined Southshore School for A-Levels Studies. "Both of them were close friends," one of Humayun's friends told The Express Tribune. "I know he didn't drive at a very high speed," she said, adding that he was a very simple boy.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2014.
COMMENTS (19)
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May they RIP, but for God's sake kids stop minimizing! You dont have to blame or take the blame but have to learn from this if anyone of you ever think that some impulsive acts are being done b/c of the peer pressure or to just fit in, its time to pause and think. Youngsters are way out of line not our culture, change for better!
they will be missed i used to too talk to her i still cant belive this happened
It's hard to believe this. Sara was my senior in CJM... She was an amazing girl and it was hard to live without seeing or talking to her. Life is just too unexpected. I wish Sara and Humayun receive a place in Jannah. Rest in peace Sara and Humayun.
I strongly believe the students were being chased. I have witnessed in my life the ghunda elements that whenever they see a couple they are very curious about it . Now in the old times also such incidents have been reported that a young couple was chased by some naughty ones. We should not outrightly rule out such possibility.What to talk about the corrupt police. They would not Ile to initiate such a case even if they have some doubt except that they have good chances of making some profit out of it. The couple was not definitely in a mood to commit suicide on the wrong side of the road. They must have been threatened by a chase by bad elements.
It must be terrible loss for the families. From now own, they will be carrying the burden of grief of losing their loved ones, and that too at the prime of their youth. May Allah SWT grant the families strength and courage to bear this loss and grant the beautiful flowers his highest blessings.
Notwithstanding, the circumstances of this horrible accident and without pointing fingers t any body, I would humbly request parents to be more careful when allowing their kids out on road should ensure that they are capable to cope with any adverse situation, they are mentally strong and are not tempted to be drawn to unnecessary challenges. If possible they should be accompanied by a driver or some other elder family member to train them for a certain time. The government can not be blamed for all the ills. Every Sunday especially in the afternoons on this road you can gang of motorcyclist doing all types of circus like manoeuvres , which sometime can fatal. If some restrictions are imposed than this is treated as encroachment on their right of freedom and enjoyment. Let us pray to God Almighty to grant us courage and sanity to let live ours and others life with respect and as responsible citizens. Amen
Saddened to read this. May Allah forgive them and open the door of heaven for them. Whether chased or not, it doesn't matter and one cannot conclude without having been an eye witness to this. While I am a strong proponent of Imran Khan's Go Nawaz Go movement, I do not see any reason for resting the entire blame wih government in this case. Unfortunately our youth seeks some false inspiration from movies like Fast and Furious and end up like Paul Walker. This does not however mean that I am suggesting reckless driving on driver's part. He might have had reasons. Whatever it maybe, I pray for their forgiveness and for emotional strength of their families.
R.I.P Sara and Humayun. Both of them were my closest friends. Humayun was a very sensible , caring and simple boy. I am sure he was not over speeding, someone obviously was chasing them. I still can't believe that I will never see their faces again :"(
@chimp: Sir dont put everyone on government as per this story it was the driver's fault may allah rest there souls in peace and I hope teenagers who high speed should learn from this sad incident.
May they both rest in peace :( they will be terribly missed. This whole incident is so shocking that I can't even register the fact they are no more :'( May Allah give their parents sabr and may Humayun and Sara achieve the highest place in paradise. May Allah forgive thier sins and make this incident a lesson for all our youths. It's a special message to all the teenage boys: please drive very safely and in case anyone is chasing you do not overspeed, just stop in a public place where you can be safe. May Allah keep all of us in His Amaan. Ameen
Can you all please stop blaming the guy? If the story about him being chased it's true then anyone would have over speeded to escape from the goons. And if he over speeded without any reason then he was young teenage boy, and young people make mistakes. So please just pray for both of them and stop blaming Humayun.
What's a pity !! I'm sure someone was chasing them and authorities will never admit because they can't find the miscreant - that also explains why the boy was driving on the opposite side of the traffic flow ..
And Blaming the kid for bad driving is the worst thing the government can do right now. Had the government enforced road traffic laws, the boy wouls have never driven that way. I guess the Government and people of Pakistan are too busy screwing each other.
@TAZ: 18 is the legal age.
18 is a very young age to drive a car given the road culture we have. the authorities should now seriously consider raising the bar a bit up atleast for khi
Indeed a great tragedy and irreparable loss for the family.May their souls rest in peace (aameen)
RIP Sarah, you will be missed. can't believe i'll ever get to see that pretty face of yours again.
I'd really appreciate if the spelling could be corrected from Sarah to 'Sara'. She was a great friend, so full of life and I have yet to realise the full weight of what has happened and who I have lost.