LHC dismisses bail plea of driver accused of killing 5

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed as withdrawn a bail petition of a truck driver accused of killing five people in a road accident in Gujranwala.

Justice Muhammad Amjad Pervaiz heard the bail petition filed by Rana Muhammad Shafiq and dismissed it after its withdrawal by the counsel for the accused.

The accused is facing a case registered at Kot Ladha police station in Gujranwala district. His counsel argued that he had been in jail since April and had no enmity with any of the deceased.

According to the petition, five people were killed when the truck collided with another vehicle.

The prosecution opposed the plea, arguing that non-bailable provisions had been invoked against the accused. The state counsel submitted that Shafiq did not possess a valid licence to drive a truck and the accident had occurred after he had violated traffic rules by driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road. The prosecution told the court that two other cases of a similar nature had previously been registered against the accused.

The court was informed that the truck had hit the victims, killing five people and seriously injuring four others. The prosecution described the driver as a habitual offender and argued that he was not entitled to any concession.