Murder charges against driver: Reply sought from SHO

LHC gives SHO two weeks to explain validity of murder charges against the driver in Bahria Town drag race accident.

RAWALPINDI: Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday gave Rawat Police station SHO two weeks to explain the validity of the murder charges against the driver in Bahria Town drag race accident.

The high court issued a notice to the SHO after the driver’s counsel said Majid Naeem had a valid driving license at the time. He did not organise the event and the five people killed in the accident were the result of an accident. The murder charges against Naeem, therefore, are incorrect.

The lawyer argued that the charges against Naeem (negligence and rash driving) were bailable offences, however he had been in Adiala Jail for the past four months because police had incorrectly added non-bailable murder charges against him under section 302.

Naeem was driving the car that crushed five spectators during a drag race organised in Bahria Town on December 5 last year. He was arrested on December 23 after an additional district and session judge rejected his bail.

Besides Naeem, Ali Riaz, son of Malik Riaz, a business tycoon, Col (R) Rafaqat, chief security officer of Bahria Town, Waleed Aman, marketing manager Bahria Town and Shiekh Atif, co- organizer of the event, are also accused in the case.

Earlier a trial court had issued an arrest warrant for Ali Riaz, which was later suspended by an LHC bench. The legal heirs of the five victims have already forgiven Riaz, Rafaqat and Aman.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th_, 2011.