‘Threats’ follow fatal car crash

ATC sends teen driver on five-day physical remand

LAHORE:

The complainant in a car crash case where six members of a family were killed when a teen driver hit their vehicle, expressed concerns about receiving threats of “dire consequences” unless he withdraws the case or agrees to a settlement.

Rafaqat Ali, the head of the victim family, revealed in a media statement that he was warned about the safety of his children, with a message implying regret for contesting the case later on.

He reported receiving a warning that included the message, “You have only one son and three daughters behind.” Furthermore, he was told, “Now you are contesting this case, but later you will repent upon it.”

Meanwhile, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) extended the five-day physical remand of Afnan Shafqat Awan, the accused teenager involved in a car collision that resulted in the death of six family members.

The extension was granted to facilitate a thorough investigation, including polygraph test and age verification. During the court proceedings, ATC Judge Abher Gul inquired about the case progress.

The investigation officer (IO) informed the court that they have reviewed videos from the incident site, and investigations are underway from all possible angles. The IO sought an extension of the accused’s physical remand for further inquiry.

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In response, the accused’s counsel strongly opposed the remand request, but the ATC judge granted a five-day extension.

The initial FIR against the accused, registered at Defense-C police station, included various offenses.

However, sections 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act were later added.

On the other hands the accused’s counsel strongly opposed the request of physical remand. However, the ATC judge extended his five days physical remand.

Police investigations indicate that Afnan had harassed the victims, following them for a considerable distance before the fatal collision.

Crash survivor and the driver of the targeted car Hasnain and his father had noticed Afnan’s ‘inappropriate behaviour’ and attempted to stop him from misbehaving and following them. The suspect had been tailing the family’s car from Y block, harassing them along the way.

Road crashes 

At least 13 people were killed and 1,204 were injured in 1,150 Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) reported across Punjab during the past 24 hours. Of the injured, 594 people with serious injuries were shifted to different hospitals, while 610 victims with minor injuries were treated at the incident site by Rescue Medical Teams.

The majority of RTCs, 73 percent, involved motorbikes. Further analysis showed that 681 drivers, 44 underage drivers, 140 pedestrians and 396 passengers were among the victims of RTCs.

Read more Teen faces terror charge over road crash

The statistics show that 249 RTCs were reported in Lahore with 254 victims, placing the Provincial Capital at the top of the list. Faisalabad followed behind with 84 RTCs and 95 victims and Multan at third with 68 RTCs and 69 victims.

The details further reveal that 1,217 victims were affected by RTCs including 1,004 males and 213 females, while the age group of the victims shows that 198 were under 18 years of age, 674 were between 18 and 40 years old and the remaining 336 victims were reportedly above 40 years of age.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2023.