The ADC’s official car was being driven by her driver, who was allegedly transporting the official’s relatives. PHOTO: EXPRESS
The driver of an administrative officer along with his accomplices allegedly thrashed three villagers after a traffic accident, the police and victims said on Tuesday. One of the alleged attackers, however, accused the victims of attacking and injuring him seriously, forcing the police to register another case.
Abdul Waheed, an office assistant in Islamabad who hails from Muslimabad village in Haripur district, said he was on the way to Taxila on Saturday along with family members to attend his sister’s wedding.
“When we were near Mohra Kamalpur village — some eight kilometres from Khanpur — a recklessly driven car (A-8214) hit my father’s car (LB-455 ) on the driver’s side, injuring him seriously”, said Waheed, adding that his father’s right hand was fractured and the children travelling in the car also received minor injuries, while the car was badly damaged.
According to Waheed, the other car, whose driver was identified as Muhammad Asif, was the official car of Abbottabad Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Kaneez Sughra. Although she was not in the car at the time of the accident, four unidentified people were in the back seat.
A quarrel ensued between the two parties when Waheed’s relatives reached the spot and took hold of ADC’s car’s keys and left, taking Waheed’s father to Khanpur hospital. However, they were intercepted near the Government Degree College near Tarnawa by Asif’s associates, led by Raja Baseer.
Baseer, accompanied by over a dozen men armed with clubs, attacked Waheed’s brother Qamar Zaman and cousin Nadeem, leaving both of them seriously injured. According to the police, Zaman’s right leg was fractured while Nadeem’s nose was broken in the assault. Later, the police were called in as members of both the parties reached the scene.
The injured were referred to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad after the registration of an FIR.
However, according to Waheed, since the accused belonged to a powerful family, the police set him free on the intervention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Member National Assembly from Haripur Dr Raja Amir Zaman, who is now pressuring them for a compromise.
“He should have asked the police to proceed according to the facts and follow the law rather than openly siding with the accused” said Nadeem, adding that they would not succumb to political pressure and contest the case in court. Khanpur police SHO Bashir, when contacted, said the accused charged in the FIR filed by Zaman and Nadeem were still at large and could not be arrested. Asked why the three accused, handed over to the police by the victim party, were set free, he said no one was arrested or released by the police.
Instead, he said Raja Idrees, a resident of village Sarhadna, lodged an FIR against Nadeem, Zaman and their accomplices for beating and injuring him seriously. The SHO said the case was registered against the accused under section 337 of the PPC through FIR number 462 on November 2. While the FIR lodged by Nadeem and Zaman was numbered 461 on the same day.
When contacted, Zaman, the lawmaker, rejected Waheed’s statement and said he was not supporting one party against the other as both were his voters.
The ADC confirmed the incident and said her driver was going to her village after picking her relatives when the accident happened.
“Safri — Waheed’s father — was playing music and driving recklessly, which caused the accident,” she quoted her driver as saying. She denied that her driver and his relatives were involved in any scuffle with Safri.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th, 2013.
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