Pakistan

Former NHA chairman escapes from court

Current chairman arrested, former chairman manages to escape from court in connection with Shershah bridge case.

Express November 06, 2010

KARACHI: The current chairman of the National Highway Authority (NHA) was arrested from a courtroom in Karachi on Saturday while the former chairman of the organization, Farrukh Bashir, managed to escape from the scene.

Police had ordered their arrests today after the court rejected an extension in their bails in relation to the Shehrshah bridge case.

The Shershah bridge, which had collapsed on September 1, 2007, barely a month after it was inaugurated by the then president Pervez Musharraf, had led to the death of four people.

More than 13 people had also been injured and six cars damaged when the bridge at Paracha Chowk collapsed.

The hearing of the Shershah bridge collapse case was adjourned on Saturday till November 6 after investigation officer (IO) SP Iftikhar submitted the final charge sheet absolving top officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and consultant firm Engineering Consultants International Limited (ECIL) of any responsibility in the collapse.

A day before that, the IO submitted in the charge sheet that project director Muhammad Yousuf Barakzai was appointed after the blueprints were approved and while the construction was under way.

The government has paid Rs1.5 million to the heirs of each of the victims and Rs0.5 million to each of the injured people, he submitted.

COMMENTS (7)

irfan chaudry | 13 years ago | Reply What does the General have to do with falling of the bridge?Look at the good things he did for the NHA....He would not pay a single penny to Mqm ministers and would not do any hiring in NHA upon the recommendations of the ministers.....

SK | 13 years ago | Reply It is so funny yet sad at the same time. police pick up ordinary people from street and they are rotten in jails without trials for years whereas mass murderers like these retired gods (the army men) have their say across Pakistan- they act viciously and don't get caught, in case one out of thousand does get identified, high ups from police and Bureaucracy help them slip away. I am cent per cent sure that even if this so called brave son of Pakistan is caught, he will go scotch free due to some lacuna in the law books. Justice doesn't prevail in Pakistan- change has to come and soon before its too late......