Accident at Hub: Families accuse police of being involved in diesel smuggling

Govt promises ban on smuggling, says will consider demands of compensation.

KARACHI: The families of the nearly 40 people who lost their lives in a tragic road accident on Saturday have accused the police of allegedly aiding the smuggling of diesel.

Several families, carrying around 30 coffins, gathered outside the Hub police station on Monday and demanded the arrest of the corrupt officers who were involved in the smuggling. They also demanded payment of compensation for the victims' heirs.

On March 22, two passenger buses and two goods carriers collided on RCD Highway between Quetta and Karachi, and left at least 38 people dead and 15 others critically injured. After the collision, the vehicles had caught fire and were completely destroyed.

The law enforcement agencies are negligent as they struck a deal and allowed the smuggling of Iranian diesel from Balochistan to Karachi on these passenger buses, the families claimed. "No government or police official came to the local graveyard to pay their respect to the victims," said the grieving protester. Following the protest, several police officials reached the site and negotiated with the families. The bodies were buried at Babu Sheikh graveyard after the officials assured they will take action.

The protesters had three demands - immediate ban on the smuggling of Iranian diesel, payment of compensation for the families and offering jobs to the victims' relatives, said the assistant commissioner of Hub, Fawad Gaffar Soomro, while talking to The Express Tribune.

"The government agreed to their demand to ban diesel smuggling," he said. "Their other demands are under consideration and the provincial government will approve their demands during the cabinet meeting." The government has also formed an inquiry committee to probe the allegations that corrupt government and police officials are involved in diesel smuggling, he added.

According to an Edhi spokesperson, the DNA samples of the deceased victims have been collected by the local forensics department. The administration has allotted a number for each grave so that after the identification of a victim through a DNA test, the buried victim can be identified, he explained.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 25^th, 2014.