Police trace owner of car involved in Gill's M2 crash

Police say there was no deliberate attempt to harm the former aide

ISLAMABAD:

The police have traced and taken the owner of the vehicle, involved in a collision with Shehbaz Gill's vehicle on the M2, into custody. 

The vehicle owner, Nazir, has been identified as a resident of Punjab's Muridke.

The former special assistant to the prime minister was travelling from Lahore to Islamabad with three others when his car was hit from behind near Khanqah Dogran. The driver lost control of the car and it overturned. The occupants suffered minor injuries. 

Read More: Shahbaz Gill survives car crash on M2

Later, the PTI leader, in a series of tweets, claimed that the incident was a “murder attempt”.

“I want to tell those who attacked me that I am alive because of the Almighty and the prayers of the nation,” he said.

“I said yesterday that the most you can do is get us killed; do it, but I will not betray [my cause],” he added.

While giving a statement to the police, Nazir said that he had rented the vehicle to a person named Wajahat Ali, who was involved in an accident while going to Islamabad with his family.

When questioned by the police, Ali claimed he had stopped at the scene of the accident, but later left the scene after he saw Gill emerging from the car. 

The police said that the evidence from the probe suggested that the car crash happened due to the negligence of the driver and there was no deliberate attempt to harm the former aide.

Ali has been handed over to Hafizabad police for further investigation as the area of ​​the accident falls under their jurisdiction.