Bahria Town racing: Two accused given bail, driver’s plea rejected

LHC asks Bahria Town marketing manager, security officer to submit surety bonds.

RAWALPINDI:

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday granted bail to two accused in Bahria Town car race case. The drag race claimed five lives on December 5 last year.

Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench granted bail to Waleed Aman, marketing manager and Colonel (retd) Rafaqat Mehmood, chief security officer of Bahria Town and directed them to submit surety bonds of Rs500,000.

However, the court dismissed the bail plea of Majid Naeem, the driver of the car that crushed five spectators during the race. Court observed that he was driving the car that killed five innocent people.

Aitzaz Ahsan, representing the two accused, contended that if a man killed somebody with his licensed weapon those who issued the licence could not be blamed for the murder.

The defence counsel informed the court that the legal heirs of the five deceased persons had already forgiven the management of Bahria Town and they could be granted bail.

The accused was of the view that police had failed to prove that the driver was performing any stunt and the report of motor vehicle examiner had established the car hit the side pole before crushing the spectators.

Advocate Sardar Muhammad Ishaq, representing the accused Majid Naeem pleaded the court to grant him bail as the only charge against him was driving rashly and negligently. He said the charge was “bailable” under the law as he possessed valid driving licence.

He maintained that his client had nothing to do with the holding of the car race without the permission of the district administration.

Five people – Mohsin Javaid, Babar Ali, Asfandyar, Sohail Khan and his son Danial Khan – were killed while watching the car race and police booked Ali Riaz son of Malik Riaz Hussain, the chief executive of Bharia Town along with Col (retd) Rafaqat, the chief security office Bahria Town, Waleed Aman marketing manager of the housing society and Sheikh Atif the organiser of the car race, after Supreme Court took suo motu notice of the incident.

All accused were behind the bars, except Sheikh Atif who fled to a foreign country and Ali Riaz whose arrest warrants issued by the trial court were later suspended by the LHC.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 4^th, 2011.