A special child with autism drowned in an open manhole in Lahore’s Children’s Hospital. The deep and deadly manhole was located near the office of the medical director (MD) of the hospital.
The three-year-old child was identified as Muhammad Basim Ikhlaq, and he had been brought to the hospital for a therapy session for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The body was recovered after two hours because of his mother’s hyperactive efforts, knocking at the door of every admin official of the hospital.
The death of the minor took place on Saturday due to the alleged negligence of the hospital management, which also tried to silence the victim’s family, reports said.
Reportedly, the child was recovered by a janitor because the hospital insisted on not seeking Rescue 1122’s help to search for the body as they did not “want the matter to go public”.
A private media outlet quoted hospital sources as saying that the child fell into the manhole as his father went to buy a toy for him, leaving him with his mother. The manhole was not visible as the hospital had hidden it with grass, they said.
“Had the hospital administration called Rescue 1122, my son could have been recovered alive,” said Basim’s father, Ikhlaq Ahmad.
He also lambasted the hospital for a two-hour delay in taking action, asserting that his wife ran from pillar to post but no one came to help and recover the then missing child.
They could have at least checked the security cameras installed in the vicinity where the child had been left to play, he said.
Ikhlaq said that his wife even rushed to the hospital’s mosque to make an announcement for the missing child after coming back from a nearby police station where the clerk and SHO “wasted time” by referring the case to each other.
Upon Ikhlaq’s arrival, some attendants of other patients came to help, alerted the hospital’s administration and “engaged” a sweeper to look for the child in the five-foot deep manhole.
“It was a very painful and terrible time for me and my wife when the sweeper recovered the body of my son from the manhole,” Ikhlaq lamented. He said that hospital higher-ups also refused to help them shift the body to their native city of Kasur.
“I had to call my maternal uncle, who is a property dealer in Gulberg, and we took the body to Kasur.”
Ikhlaq said that his wife used to bring their child to the hospital for every appointment and exclaimed that “she was still in trauma”.
He appealed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to hold an impartial inquiry into the criminal negligence that led to his son’s death.
The hospital, on the other hand, revealed that the manhole was situated inside a greenbelt right behind the office of the MD, Professor Tipu Sultan. An official defended the presence of the manhole by stating that the area was under constant surveillance but also admitted that it was a threat to the lives of children and patients as attendees often waited in greenbelts and parks.
Institute of Child Health/Children’s Hospital Vice Chancellor Prof Masood Sadiq also defended the institute by saying that the incident took place inside a greenbelt that had been cordoned off. He also shifted the blame to the mother of the victim.
Police in Sialkot have arrested four people for the horrifying murder of Zara Bibi, who was killed and chopped into pieces over suspicions of witchcraft and black magic by her in-laws.
As per the details, body of the victim, who was pregnant at the time, was allegedly dismembered by her mother-in-law Sughran Bibi, among others; stuffed into sacks and disposed of in a drain.
While police had launched an investigation into the death of the 30-year-old soon after the remains were discovered, a media campaign had prompted authorities to act swiftly and take the case to its logical conclusion.
An FIR was registered against five accused. The police had first arrested Abdullah, Sughran’s grandson. He was named in the FIR on the basis of suspicion. After his confession, Sughran, her daughter Yasmin Bibi, and a relative named Mohammad Naveed were taken into custody.
All four suspects confessed to the murder, police said.
INVESTIGATION
Sialkot Police spokesperson Waqas Ali said that local police took action on the request of Shabbir Ahmed, the victim’s father, and after the registration of a case, the in-laws were interrogated.
He said that the mother-in-law confessed to the crime and shared details of the horrific incident. The knife used in the murder was recovered as well.
The investigation officer quoted Sughran as revealing that she first strangulated Zara in her sleep with the help of the victim’s sister-in-law and another relative, Naveed, who was called in from Lahore. The mother-daughter duo even paid him ten thousand rupees.
After dismembering the body, Naveed went back to Lahore while the mother-in-law, with the help of her daughter and grandson, threw the body in the drain.
The postmortem report also confirmed that the victim was killed by suffocation with the body cut into pieces with a sharp instrument after death.
The accused hid the evidence after cutting the body into five pieces and stuffing in into sacks and plastic bags. The sacks were then thrown far from one another to build mystery around Zara’s disappearance amid hopes that the body was never discovered.
After the confession, police, rescue personnel and locals started searching for the pieces of Zara’s body. Even after extensive research, only two sacks were found.
Rescue officials revealed that the head and arms of the victim were cut off and put in separate shopping bags. The torso was also cut into two and sealed in two separate sacks.
THE MURDER
Zara was married to Qadeer Ahmed, her cousin and a resident of Kotli Meeran in Daska, four years ago. The couple had a two-year-old son.
Zara’s father, Shabbir Ahmed, who is also the complainant in the case, told a private media outlet that she had recently returned from Saudi Arabia after meeting her husband. She had been living with her father since; however, she had returned to her in-laws’ house three days before the incident upon her mother-in-law’s insistence.
On the morning of November 10, he tried to call his daughter multiple times but no one answered, Shabbir said, adding that he decided to go and check after he also received a call from Zara’s husband, who said that his nine-month pregnant wife was unreachable.
Zara’s father immediately went to her in-laws to inquire about her well-being, where he was told that she was not at home.
“As soon as I entered the main door of the house, I started calling Zara by her name, upon which Zara’s sister-in-law told me that she was not at home. When I asked where she had gone to, Sughran said, ‘What do we know? She must have run away with jewellery and money.”
“My sixth sense told me that something very bad had happened,” said Shabbir, who himself is an assistant sub-inspector in Punjab Police.
He recalled noticing that Zara’s two-and-a-half-year-old son was also at home and that the whole house had been swept clean. “The house was unusually clean and the floor was washed up.”
“Seeing this made my heart sink. I immediately called my elder brother and dialled 15 to call local police,” he said and revealed that an attempt to kill his daughter had also been made in the past.
Shabbir told the media that his late wife had fixed their daughter’s marriage to her nephew in her lifetime. After marriage, Qadeer and Zahra had a good relationship, but her maternal aunt and mother-in-law often accused the deceased of having “cast a spell” on her son, which often led to fights in the house.
The accused also told the police that her son was very caring towards his wife, and he used to send money directly to her account, which was not acceptable to the mother-in-law. With the victim pregnant again, the primary accused believed that her son would be “completely under the control” of the daughter-in-law.
“I will never forgive the accused. I will ensure that justice is served,” Shabbir said, adding that after his wife’s death, Zara was the only anchor in is life.
The police also suggested in their report that Sughran has six daughters and only one son, and she, as well as her six daughters, were jealous of Zara because she was living abroad with her husband, who cared for her. She thought that her son had been taken away by her daughter-in-law, which led to domestic fights.
A metro bus crushed a four-year-old child as he was getting off with his mother at Liaquat Bagh metro station in Rawalpindi.
Various footage of the incident has emerged online. In one of them, it can be seen that the body was covered with a sheet, surrounded by people and a bus parked on the side.
Journalist Shabbir Dar posted a video made from inside the bus where the parents of the child were seen shouting and crying in panic while other passengers were trying to console them.
Geo News reported that the four-year-old child fell on the track while getting off the metro bus. He was accompanied by his mother and was crushed under the tyre of the metro bus. The child died on the spot.
The police said that the child who died in the incident at Liaquat Bagh metro bus station was identified as Rehan, a resident of the Amrapura area of Rawalpindi.
The police stated that the child was getting off the bus and holding his mother’s finger when the bus stopped at Liaquat Bagh station, and he instantly fell on the metro track.
However, at the same time, the bus driver started the bus, and as a result, the child was crushed to death by the big bus tyre.
The driver of the metro bus, as well as the other officials of the metro bus administration, fled the premises immediately after the incident, according to the police.
The incident happened in the jurisdiction of Waris Khan police station of Rawalpindi. A police team reached the accident site and started an investigation.
Previously, in 2017, a 19-year-old student was crushed to death after the bus rammed into a near side pole. Following her death, massive protests broke out in the area by fellow students.
A domestic fight took the life of a woman from tehsil Daska of Sialkot.
Media reports suggest that the 30-year-old woman was killed by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law on Tuesday. The victim’s body was then put into a sack and thrown into a drain.
The case came to light when Shabbir Ahmed, a resident of district Gujranwala, complained to the police that his daughter Zara Bibi, who was married to Qadeer Ahmed of tehsil Daska, had gone missing.
Zara and Qadeer had been married for four years, but Qadeer worked abroad while Zara lived with her in-laws.
Shabbir told the police that when he called his daughter two days back, he found her mobile phone switched off. Worried, he went to meet his daughter at her in-laws’ house in the village of Kotli Meeran in Daska. There, he found out that she was not home, and her in-laws expressed ignorance of her whereabouts.
Zara’s father alleged that her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law used to assault his daughter.
The local Police Station registered an FIR against Zara’s in-laws, namely her mother-in-law, sisters-in-law and their sons.
A police investigation revealed that the victim’s body was found in a sewage drain.
Further investigation revealed that she was killed and her body was dismembered by the killers.
Geo News reports that the suspects confessed to the murder during the investigation, after which the police recovered the body parts from a sack in a drain.
It was further revealed in the probe that the mother-in-law is actually the maternal aunt of the victim, and Zara had just returned to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia with her two-and-a-half-year-old son. She is reported to have come to visit often in the past as well.
The reason behind the domestic feud was that Qadeer used to send all the money to his wife’s account, which perturbed Zara’s mother-in-law, Sughran Bibi.
The latter first tried to get her son to divorce his wife by accusing her of having loose morals. When that did not work out, she and her daughters planned the murder. To execute the plan, the mother and daughters lured a relative from Lahore, Naveed, to help him go to Italy. Thus, they first choked Zara to death, then cut her body into pieces and then burnt her face so that she could not be identified.
They stuffed the pieces of the body in five sacks. After this, Naveed went back to Lahore while the mother-in-law, with the help of her daughters and grandsons, threw the body in the drain.
As Zara’s father informed the police about her daughter’s disappearance, the cops took the grandsons into custody and interrogated them, who revealed the whole truth.
Now all the suspects involved are in police custody.
One patient has died in Nishtar Hospital Multan, while 30 others have contracted Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infections during dialysis treatment at the medical centre.
Dawn’s Asif Chaudhary has reported on the negligence in the largest public sector hospital in South Punjab, where these patients were reportedly put on three dialysis machines meant for HIV-positive patients.
The report quotes an official privy to the information who claimed that the patient who breathed his last of HIV/AIDs complications was identified as Shahnawaz (40). He was under treatment at the nephrology department of the hospital where the doctors contacted the institute’s top management to refer him to the isolation ward for immediate care soon after he tested positive for HIV/AIDs after the completion of a dialysis session.
However, Dawn’s source claims that the administration rejected the requests of the treating doctors, stating that the isolation wards were assigned for the patients suffering from infectious diseases like dengue.
The patient is suspected to have contracted the virus from the dialysis machines meant for HIV-positive patients. He died of HIV-related complications on Tuesday.
Panic spread among the doctors, nurses and other employees of the nephrology department when news broke out that HIV/AIDS infections were transmitted to 30 other patients.
It is the highest number of patients that got infected in a government hospital in one go.
The diagnosis of such a large number of HIV-infected patients has put doctors, nurses and other staff members of the nephrology department at risk as they have been in contact with the infected patients during the treatment process.
The matter was originally reported on October 26, but the head of the nephrology unit, who is also the Registrar of Nishtar Medical University (NMU) Professor Ghulam Abbas, hushed the matter along with other high officials.
Admission and treatment records of all the infected patients were confiscated. However, the matter surfaced in the news after the patient died, which eventually prompted the hospital’s management to launch an investigation.
The matter has been termed the worst case of negligence and blatant violation of the standard operating procedures, which clearly define patient management and treatment of those coming for dialysis.
There are three designated dialysis machines for HIV/AIDS at Nishtar, along with one for Hepatitis B patients at the nephrology unit.
The onus of responsibility lies on the head of the nephrology department and other medics to make sure that the dialysis machines are safe for the patients and that SOPs of screening have been followed before hooking up the patient to dialysis machines, the source told Dawn.
NMU Vice Chancellor Prof Mehnaz Khakwani told Dawn that a committee of senior medical teachers and admin officers have been constituted to launch a probe into the incident.
Findings of the probe are awaited to proceed further with the case.
Punjab Police on Thursday arrested a female TikToker after her viral claim to be the mother of the alleged ‘rape victim’ of Punjab College was proven false.
In the viral video, the woman was seen claiming to be the mother of the alleged rape victim and related gruesome details of the incident which all turned out to be false as the case was declared to be a manifestation of disinformation.
The news of the alleged rape incited violent protests in different cities of the province.
Sarah Khan was arrested on the charges of making false claims, provoking public sentiment against government authorities and urging the people to gather for demonstrations in her TikTok video.
The Organized Crime Unit (OCU) of Lahore’s Model Town police made the arrest after a case was registered against her in the Gulberg police station.
Deputy Inspector General Imran Kishwar of OCU told Dawn that a police team arrested Sarah on Thursday when she went to Lahore High Court to get bail in a case filed against her by the Federal Investigation Agency’s cyber crime wing.
Furthermore, he added that the complaint against her was lodged by Gulberg police sub-inspector Mohammad Imran under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (PECA) Act, 2016 and other charges.
The DIG told media that during the investigation the woman was originally a resident of Karachi but has a permanent address in Multan.
DIG Kishwar said that Sara Khan has been handed over to the JIT-responsible to probe the investigation of the case-for further investigation.
OCU Model Town Superintendent Police Aftab Phularwan was the convener of the JIT while other members include DSP Faisal Shareef, woman inspector Fiza and one representative each was included from Intelligence Bureau (IB) and FIA.
The evidence collected by the seven-member committee formed by the Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz, has presented its finding in the Punjab College alleged rape case. It declared that the alleged rape incident of a college student was based on fake news that was viral on social media.
During the formulation of the report, the committee recorded the statements of the alleged rape victim and her parents, who categorically denied that such an incident took place.
They further informed the committee that the girl got injured at home, leading to her being admitted to a private hospital for treatment. They also said that the girl had never been a student of the said campus and that she did not attend college from October 2 onwards because of her injury. College record also complied with this statement.
Punjab College had already announced that no such incident happened at said institute.
Transgender model and social media influencer Dolphin Ayan, also known as Dolphin Ayan Ali, was stripped naked and recorded at gunpoint, a leaked video showed Thursday morning.
As messages of support pour in for Ayan, police have reportedly registered a case against the accused.
Meanwhile, Ayan has urged members of the community to not share the leaked video. “The more we share such videos, the more we harm ourselves. We should not circulate anyone’s videos, especially not those from within our community,” she said in a viral audio message doing the rounds on social media. Reacting to the incident,
Trans Action Alliance President Farzana Riaz said that the video was not a new one and had been recorded to blackmail Ayan. “This video is not new. It was recorded to blackmail Ayan for money.
She has already paid substantial extortion fees to keep it hidden,” she told a private media outlet.
Farzana noted that similar videos of other transgender individuals in Peshawar were often used as leverage for extortion and coercion.
She also pointed out that there had been no police action. “Despite the registration of FIRs, the offenders operate without facing consequences.” She further said that not even a single official had condemned these attacks, which highlights the authorities’ indifference towards issues facing the transgender community.
Transgender activist and central secretary of the Awami National Party, Dr Mehrub Awan, also expressed her frustration and concern on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “A video of Dolphin Ayan, the most successful trans dancer from Peshawar, is doing the rounds where she is being stripped naked on camera and threatened with a gun, and being forced to dance. We have literally written papers, done podcasts, book chapters, and spoken to media and officials about ‘Beela violence’ and how organised it is.”
“We ourselves have presented data and identified hotspots – Mardan and Peshawar – and profiled the criminals involved. We have done everything that we, as a broken and battered community, could do,” she added.
“When does this end? What else is expected from a community literally on the receiving end of genocidal murders in Pakhtunkhwa to do?” “The public of Pakhtunkhwa deserves a formal statement on the ongoing mass murder, exploitation and violence against transgender persons in the province. This deserves a serious political commitment and follow through,” Mehrub said.
While Ayan’s leaked video has left social media users outraged, the violent incident isn’t the first of its kind. According to data from Trans Action Alliance, KP alone has seen the murder of 145 transgender individuals from 2015 to November 2024.
A speeding SUV collided with a car and rammed motorcyclists in the Karsaz area of Karachi on August 19 evening, killing a father-daughter duo and injuring a few others. Police arrested the woman driver, identified as Natasha, who is said to be from an influential background and possessed a British driving licence.
Several clips of the incident have come to light so far, showing Natasha’s route and how she was taken into police custody after the accident.
Update
Natasha Danish acquitted in Karsaz accident case
Natasha Danish, the main suspect in the Karsaz accident case, was acquitted by the City Court of Karachi on Thursday.
At today’s hearing, the defence lawyer told the court that Natasha is ill and so she cannot appear in front of the court. Upon which, the court ordered that the accused should be produced before the court by 2 o’clock, and the hearing was adjourned till then.
Later, affidavits submitted in the court by the victims’ families were accepted by the court, acquitting the accused from the case.
Daily Pakistan reported that the families of the victims have submitted an affidavit in the court in which they mentioned that they have forgiven Natasha for the sake of Allah.
Geo News also reported that Natasha was acquitted after a settlement was reached by the family of the deceased.
During the hearing, apart from the family members of the victim, families of the injured persons were also present in the court. The hearing was adjourned till October 31.
Natasha granted bail for one million in drug case
The Sindh High Court has granted bail to Natasha Danish, the main suspect in the Karsaz fatal accident that killed a father and daughter, for driving under the influence of drugs.
Justice Abdul Kareem Khan Agha of Sindh High Court heard the bail application in the drug case while Barrister Farooq H. Naik appeared in the court on her behalf.
The lawyer contended, “Our application for bail in one of the FIRs pertaining the death of father and daughter has already been approved.”
The public prosecutor, however, stressed that Natasha was under the influence of alcohol when she was driving, to which Farooq H. Naik said that the medical report is also ambiguous because methamphetamine was not present in the blood but was present in the urine.
The court asked the public prosecutor about the amount of methamphetamine present in the urine sample to which the public prosecutor said that the medical report did not mention the quantity.
Advocate Farooq H. Naik said, “My client has been undergoing treatment from a psychiatrist for years, it is also possible that some medicine has been given which has been mentioned in the medical report.”
Justice Agha remarked that it is important to mention that the victims of this case have reconciled with the accused while the accused is also a mother of three children and has been in jail since the last one and a half months.
After hearing the arguments of both parties, the judge approved the bail in the anti-narcotics case.
The court ordered Natasha to submit a bond of Rs 10 lac.
Natasha’s bail plea rejected again
The bail plea of Natasha Danish, the main suspect in the accident that killed a father and daughter on Karsaz Road in Karachi, has been rejected yet again in the drug use.
Additional District and Sessions Judge East Shahid Ali Memon heard the case today related to driving under the influence of drugs. The court rejected the bail application, stating that the reasons for the rejection of the bail application will be given in the written order.
The verdict was reserved after today’s hearing.
Natasha Danish’s lawyer Aamir Mansoob Qureshi had argued that, as a matter of principle, only one case should be registered for a single incident.
However, State prosecutor Syed Khursheed Abbas Bukhari stated that the bail application, arguing that the case was still under investigation as the final charge sheet is yet to be submitted to the court.
Earlier, Judicial Magistrate East Muhammad Raza Ansari also rejected the bail application of the accused during the last hearing, stating that this will have a negative impact on society.
Judge dismisses Natasha’s bail plea in drug case
Natasha’s lawyer on Monday challenged the judicial magistrate’s decision to dismiss their petition seeking bail in the drugs case associated with the Karsaz accident case.
In today’s hearing, the judicial magistrate denied post-arrest bail to Natasha Danish in a drug case which was filed against her by the police as her medical report showed traces of methamphetamine (crystal meth), commonly known as ice, in her urine.
However, Natasha’s lawyer challenged the decision in the sessions court, arguing that the judicial magistrate overlooked pivotal evidence in the bail petition.
During the last hearing on September 6, the suspect was pardoned by the families of two victims killed in the accident when her car hit their motorbike.
The lawyer had argued that the investigating officer “manipulated blood and urine samples” taken from his client.
The court reserved its order.
The order, given today by Judge Mohammad Raza Ansari, said that Danish’s lawyer could not satisfy the court regarding section 11 (drinking liable to tazir) of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order (PEHO) of 1979 stressing that the claim of blood and urine samples being manipulated was false.
“There is nothing as such in the police’s file,” the court said.
The court said that the nine objections raised by the suspect’s family had “no legal value”, adding that it was surprising that a “highly educated woman” was driving under the influence of drugs.
The judge remarked that granting the suspect bail in the drug case would “have a negative impact on society”.
However, the order has now been challenged before the Additional District and Sessions Judge (East).
Natasha pardoned by victims’ family in Karsaz case
The case of the fatal driving-under-the-influence accident that occurred on Karsaz Road in Karachi has reached its end after matters were settled between suspect Natasha and the victims’ families.
Geo reported on Friday morning that the family of deceased Imran Arif and Amna Arif have prepared affidavits that will be presented today in today’s hearing of Natasha’s bail application.
As per the reports, the heirs of the father and daughter who died in the accident will submit a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
The NOC will be submitted by Imran Arif’s wife on behalf of his son Osama Arif and the other daughter.
“We have forgiven the accused, in the name of Allah, the Most Merciful and the Most Merciful,” says the affidavit being shared on social media, implying that matters have been settled between the two parties.
The affidavit also states that the victims’ family have no objection to granting bail to the suspect because the accident that happened was not deliberate, and they have given this certificate without any pressure.
Earlier 92 News reported Natasha Iqbal, the main suspect in the driving-under-the-influence fatal accident that killed a father and daughter at Karsaz in Karachi, will pay deeyat (blood money) to the relatives of the victims, multiple journalists are reporting.
According to 92 News’ Shahid Hussain, as of Friday morning, the family of the victims has forgiven Natasha and will be paid a hefty deeyat amount. One relative might also get a job in the rich suspect’s company.
Journalist Asad Toor shared affidavits allegedly showing the No-Objection Certificates the family has handed over to the court.
Conflicting reports: Natasha forgiven ‘in the name of Allah’, no Diyat taken, reports Dawn
The lawyer for the victims in the Karsaz case, Barrister Aziz Ghouri has denied the claims that diyat (blood money) was paid to the family, saying that the suspect was pardoned “in the name of Allah”, as per Dawn News.
“[They have forgiven the suspect] out of court in the name of Allah”, according to the affidavit that has come forward,“ he asserted.
“They (the family) are saying that they have forgiven because those who forgive have the highest stature,” he added while dismissing reports of bloodmoney being taken by the aggrieved party.
Earlier, news platforms stated that Rs 5.5 crore was being taken as diyat compensation.
The defence counsel, Advocate Amir Mansoob Qureshi, has also told Dawn that he is “not aware” of any compensation provided to the victims’ family.
He also revealed that the court had not placed travel restrictions on Natasha and that his client could leave the country if she wanted, adding that the matter is resolved because the family has pardoned her.
The courts have granted Natasha bail in the accident case, but Dawn’s Ishaq Tanoli reported that she would remain under custody until the conclusion of the narcotics case.
Natasha and her husband’s bails were set for Rs100,000 and Rs50,000, respectively.
Natasha to stay in jail until narcotics case resolved
The hearing for the narcotics case is to be held on Monday. However, Jibran Nasir opined in a post on X that “unfortunately this FIR will likely be quashed because the wrong section has been applied by the Police. Methamphetamine (Ice or Crystal Meth) is not a scheduled drug under the 1979 Order [Hudood law]. The Correct section to apply should have been either Section 9(2) or Section 16 of the Control of Narcotics Substances Act 1997 as Methamphetamine is a prohibited psychotropic drug under the 1997 Act.”
Notably, these offences are also non compoundable meaning the accused would have to face trial.
Complainant’s counsel Barrister Aziz Ghouri (L) meets defence counsel Advocate Amir Mansoob Qureshi outside sessions court on Friday. — Photo courtesy: Screengrab taken from a video provided by the author
Victims’ lawyer denies claims of family accepting diyat
Victims’ lawyer Barrister Uzair Ali has told the media that his clients Amna and Imran Arif’s family informed him about pardoning Natasha early today. He also made it a point to mention that the victims’ family has not taken blood money.
The Current spoke with Jibran Nasir to understand the course of the case, as a list of non-compoundable charges pressed against her is still intact. These are the charges stated, i.e., police have pressed against her, and they can only be solved if the court finds them redeemable.
“Family has settled, which means they can’t care less what happens to the case,” he makes it a point to mention. “Separate proceedings will now take place for the court to recognise the settlement, which will result in dropping all compoundable charges,” he said regarding the upcoming hearing.
Commenting on the non-compoundable charges, he said, “As for non-compoundable ones, the accused’s lawyer will try to get around and mislead the court. It would be up to the prosecutor and the Judge to ensure those charges stay.”
Victims’ family accepts Rs. 5.5 Crore in Diyat in Karsaz case: ARY
ARY’s Asghar Umer has reported that the victims’ family has accepted 5.5 crore rupees as Diyat. One member of the family will also be given a job in one of Natasha Danish’s companies as part of the deal in the affidavit.
Natasha’s bail approved for 1 lac rupees
Geo’s Amin Anwer reported that during the hearing, the victim’s lawyer told the court that the matters were settled between his client and the accused’s side. After that, the court granted Natasha bail for one lac rupees.
Jibran Nasir says he is not part of the Karsaz case
On Thursday, September 5, lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir, reported to be representing the deceased Amna Arif and her father in the Karsaz case, announced that despite his efforts, he has been unable to contact the victims’ family.
“Hence, though I can comment on the case for public awareness purposes based on information made available through media I am not in a position to either represent or make any comments on behalf of the family,” he posted.
A local court in Karachi issued notices to the prosecutor and complainant on Wednesday, September 4, summoning them on September 6 in the Karsaz accident case.
On the other hand, Natasha Danish has filed a post-arrest bail application for Friday in the Karsaz traffic accident case.
Validity of British nationality and driving license
The defence lawyer, Aamir Mansoob Qureshi, submitted copies of Natasha’s passport and driving licence in court, stating that his client possesses British nationality and has a valid UK driving licence until 2031.
He claimed that the British driving licence was internationally recognised and valid under Pakistani law for six months after arrival in the country.
According to the council, she landed in Pakistan from London on August 2, which means she can legally drive there. He also argued that the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) section is “neither applicable nor can be inserted in this case”.
The court summoned the deputy district public prosecutor (East), the investigating officer (IO), and the complainant for September 6.
Bail in drug case
Natasha Danish’s lawyer has also pleaded before the Judicial Magistrate (East) to seek bail in a drug case. The magistrate then issued notices to the complainant and the state prosecutor for September 6.
The defence lawyer contested in court, stating that his client was innocent and falsely implicated in a case under Section 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab) of the Pakistan Penal Code with “malafide intentions and ulterior motives”.
Medical reports
Natasha’s lawyer has also submitted her medical record of the ongoing psychiatric treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital that began 19 years ago. He argued that his client’s “judgment and perception were impaired, rendering her unable to foresee the consequences of her actions.”
“Her [the suspect’s] medical condition significantly diminished her capacity to anticipate the outcomes, making it impossible for her to foresee any potential harm,” Advocate Qureshi argued.
“The alleged incident was not a result of wilful negligence but rather an unforeseen accident possibly exacerbated by her medical condition,” he said, adding that it was “unjustifiable and excessive” to add Sections 322 and 320 (punishment for qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving) of the Pakistan Penal Code in the FIR.
Contending the delay in results
Lawyer Qureshi elaborated on the prosecution’s “malafide intention” by contending that the Investigating Officer collected the blood and urine samples on August 19 and submitted them for examination on August 21 with a two-day delay.
“Therefore, the samples so collected could not be said to be in safe custody/ without any break of a chain of safe custody,” he argued.
The counsel also mentioned that the IO had moved an application before the magistrate on August 22 to obtain blood samples of his client again, stating that he wanted to cross-check the sample with the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences at Karachi University.
However, the court dismissed the plea, declaring that a report on the blood samples had already been awaited.
Advocate Qureshi claimed that despite the court’s dismissal, the IO approached the jail authority and collected the blood sample “illegally and unlawfully under his nefarious design just to manipulate the samples to obtain a chemical examiner report of his own choice”.
Natasha’s husband gets interim bail
After taking protective bail from the Sindh High Court, Danish Iqbal, husband of suspect Natasha Danish, surrendered before the trial court and moved an application before the sessions court, seeking interim bail on Wednesday.
After hearing his counsel, the court granted him interim bail against a surety bond of Rs. 100,000.
However, the court issued notices for September 6 to the deputy district public prosecutor (East) for confirmation or otherwise.
Details of the September 2 hearing
The IO appeared before Judicial Magistrate (East) Muhammad Raza Ansari, while the suspect, Natasha, appeared in court on Monday via video link from the prison.
The proceedings of the case are as follows:
Exemption from in-person appearance
The court allowed the suspect to be exempt from an in-person appearance after the defence lawyer moved an application under Section 540 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Deputy District Prosecutor (East) Muhammad Younus told Dawn that the exemption might have been granted due to “security concerns”.
Charges of driving under the influence added
The IO also informed the court that Section 100 (driving while under the influence of drink or drugs) of the Provincial Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1965 have also been included in the FIR.
CCTV footage sent to Punjab Forensic agency
He further stated in front of the judge that CCTV footage of the incident had been sent to Punjab Forensic Science Agency as per routine practice of the Sindh police due to the lack of sophisticated equipment in the provincial labs.
Letter written to UK High Commission
Additionally, a letter has been written to the UK High Commission to verify Natasha’s UK driving license. The IO also mentioned that letters had been sent to the concerned union council of the area and the traffic DIG regarding the damage to public property but their responses are still awaited.
Condition of injured motorcyclist Abdul Salam
When the court inquired about the condition of the injured persons, including Abdul Salam who was shifted to a ventilator due to critical condition, the IO informed the court that their condition had improved and provided details about the injuries they sustained.
Request for additional time to submit interim challan
The IO requested the court for a period of 14 more days to submit the interim challan, stating that the responses to the letters were pending. After hearing the IO, the court granted three days and directed him to submit the interim challan by Sept 5.
Hudood charges added, Investigating Officer allowed to grill Natasha in Karsaz case
On Saturday, August 30, a local court allowed an investigation team to grill Natasha Danish, the suspect in the Karsaz accident case, who is currently in jail. Additionally, a fresh case under the Hudood law has also been registered against her because of alleged drug use.
Natasha Danish was arrested and sent to a women’s prison on judicial remand on August 21.
However, on August 31, Sub-Inspector Shakir Rind, the investigating officer of the case, filed an application before Judicial Magistrate Javed Ali Korejo, seeking permission to interrogate the suspect in a new FIR lodged under Section 11 (drinking liable to tazir) of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order, 1979.
In his order, the judicial magistrate stated that medico-legal officer Dr Zainab Irshad had issued a final medico-legal certificate (MLC) and said that it had been confirmed that the suspect was under the influence of methamphetamine, commonly called ‘ice’, at the time of the incident.
Thus, based on this report, a new FIR was lodged against the suspect at the Bahadurabad police station. Since it was a cognizable offence, the investigating officer was fully empowered to arrest the suspect, who is already in judicial custody, after adopting all legal formalities as per law in prison.
Hudood Law
On Friday, the Bahadurabad police filed a fresh case under the Hudood law against Natasha Danish based on her medical report.
Bahadurabad police Station House Officer Mohammed Naeem Rajput informed Dawn that a separate FIR was registered against Danish under Section 11 (drinking liable to tazir) of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order (PEHO) of 1979.
Section 11 of the Hudood Order states that those found guilty of drinking but not liable for hadd punishment (as ordained by the Holy Quran or Sunnah) will instead be liable for tazir (any punishment other than hadd). The punishment may include imprisonment for up to three years, whipping not exceeding thirty stripes, or both.
The law was invoked after medical reports confirmed that Natasha was under the influence of meth crystal.
Meanwhile, police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed that Natasha’s “chemical analysis report is positive for methamphetamine in the urine sample.”
The FIR also states that, in her final report dated August 29, the police surgeon said the suspect was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the accident around 6:30 p.m. on August 19.
If she is found guilty she could be punished with imprisonment of a term which may extend to three years or with whipping not exceeding thirty stripes or with both.
On the other hand, Jibran Nasir argued in a post on X that he could not understand why the PEHO law was invoked, as the scheduled drugs under this law did not include crystal meth, nor was there any notification or amendment adding the narcotic to the schedule.
He claimed that an offence could only be made out under the Hudood law if the drugs included in its scheduled list were consumed.
Earlier, a case was registered against the suspect with provisions of murder and attempted murder.
The Current talked to lawyer and activist Jibran Nasir about the legal course of action available for the prosecution in light of the revelation. He explained that offences under the Provincial Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1965 would be added for driving under the influence of a prohibited drug. “Another section under the Control of Narcotics Substances Act 1997 (as amended in 2022) will be added for consumption of a drug,” he added.
However, when asked if the nature of the case would change now, Jibran replied, “It will still remain manslaughter due to rash and negligent driving.”
Explaining further, he asserted that “It cannot be termed a murder because the drugs were not consumed with the intention to run over somebody.”
Notably, Natasha is still in police custody as a local court sent her on judicial remand for 14 days.
Prohibited substance found in Natasha’s urine: medical report
The presence of prohibited substance was found in the urine samples of the accused woman who killed the father and daughter riding a motorcycle and injured a few others on Karsaz Road.
Sindh Inspector General Police Ghulam Nabi Memon also confirmed the presence of crystal meth in her medical report. “The medical report confirms that she was under the influence of the drug methamphetamine,” he told Dawn.
He said the driver’s medical reports were issued by the medical examiner’s office for the Sindh Government Services Hospital.
The police have received the medical report of the vehicle’s driver, Natasha Danish.
Geo’s Kashif Mushtaq reports that the presence of prohibited substances was found in urine samples of Natasha. However, the police has sealed the medical report for 2 to 3 days.
The luxury vehicle Natasha used in the Karsaz accident is registered in the name of a private company. The police team has decided to detain the owner of the vehicle for investigation.
Delay of medical report
On August 25, it was reported that the suspect’s medical report had not come out yet. Geo noted that it may take another two to three days. Samples received from the suspect have also been sent to two different laboratories, one in Karachi and one in Lahore.
Investigative sources assert that the medical report will lead to progress in the investigation.
British driving license confirmed
The investigation team has confirmed that Natasha has a British driving license but an investigation into her foreign nationality is still going on.
Charges of manslaughter added
Investigative sources have also said that the case was weakened by adding sections 320 (punishment for qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving), 337-G (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent driving), 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), all of which were bailable offences.
However, the magistrate in the local court added that during the investigation, the Investigation Officer had added Section 322 (manslaughter) of the PPC, which is a non-bailable offence.
Investigative sources say that in the case of murder, the death penalty can be 10 to 18 years in prison. The family of the victim can take the amount of blood money equal to the value of 30 thousand 360 grams of silver. As per the rate of silver this year, the amount of blood money could be around 68 lakh 50 thousand rupees. If the blood money is taken, the case will be over.
New footage of the incident has gone viral. In it, the accused can be seen threatening a spectator with a raised finger, saying, “Tum mere baba ko nahi janty. ” This can be translated as “You don’t know my father.”
In the video, she is surrounded by a huge crowd while she is protected by a group of rangers. Several social media criticized her for showing no remorse even after having killed two and injuring others.
Amna’s uncle’s interview
Amna Arif’s uncle and Imran Arif’s brother said that Natasha’s team had not approached them with any offers to influence their stance.
Amna’s uncle, Imtiaz Arif, told the media that Pakistan People’s Party MNA Sharmila Farooqui met Imran’s wife and assured her that the Sindh government would cooperate with them until the suspect was punished.
Imtiaz said, “At the beginning of the case, there was a despair that justice would not be served, but because of some people, there is now hope that the accused will be punished.”
On the question of a deal, Amna’s uncle said, “No, we have not been offered any deal by the suspect, nor has there been any meeting in this regard, nor has our family any interest in it.”
He further said that under Section 322 of the Penal Code, the accused should be punished to set an example in society.
Natasha’s mental condition
While her husband has claimed that she has been a psychiatric patient for some years, the doctors at Jinnah Hospital have declared her mental condition to be fine, reported Dawn News.
New CCTV footage showing SUV ramming the car
Geo News has revealed that new CCTV footage has emerged in the Karsaz accident case. The video shows that Natasha, the woman accused of killing a father and daughter on their motorcycle, hit a white car on the same road moments before the fatal collision.
It can also be seen that as she hit the white car that came in front of her SUV, she slowed down for a moment and then sped up. Natasha hit the rear door of the white car, and she also hit two people on a motorcycle behind that car, causing them to fall from the bike. After that, the woman escaped by driving fast.
The video also reveals that citizens and security guards immediately gathered after the incident.
In the CCTV footage, the time of the incident is recorded as 11 past six in the evening.
She then hit the father and daughter on the motorcycle, causing their death on the spot.
Geo reports that police sources say that the woman was driving her car at high speed while fleeing from the previous incident and thus collided with the bike carrying the father and daughter.
A court in Karachi has sent the woman accused of killing a father and daughter and injuring five others at Karsaz has been sent to jail on judicial remand.
The suspect appeared before the court with her face covered.
The case pertaining to the death of father and daughter was heard in the local court on August 21, where the police produced the accused in the court of a Judicial Magistrate.
Geo News’ Amin Anwer reported that the police requested the accused’s remand for 14 days, on which the accused’s lawyer stated the provisions against his client were bailable. The investigating officer responded that Section 322 has been added to the case for murder, and Section 322 is non-bailable.
The court asked the accused if the police tortured her, to which the woman said no.
DIG-Traffic Ahmad Nawaz Cheema told Dawn that a Toyota Prado driven in an ‘extremely negligent manner’ by a woman hit a motorcycle while negotiating a turn from Tipu Sultan Road towards the service road of Muslim League House. The car then hit two more motorcycles and overturned after colliding with a parked car on the road.
Samaa News reported that the driver has been identified as Natasha, who was arrested by the police. Her car has been impounded. She was found to own a British driving license.
The victims, Imran Arif, 60, and his 22-year-old daughter, Amna, residents of Scheme 33, were taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, where they succumbed to their injuries.
The videos of a woman being held by a crowd after the accident emerged on Tuesday, August 20, whereas the accident occurred on Monday evening when an uncontrolled vehicle crushed a motorcyclist and other pedestrians on Karsaz Road, killing a motorcyclist’s father and daughter and injuring five people.
Geo News reported that the lawyer deemed the suspect a ‘psychiatric patient’ who has been under treatment for mental stress for the past five years—a claim corroborated by her husband.
A first information report of the traffic accident was registered on the complaint of Imran Arif, the brother of the deceased.
Samaa reports that the woman driver suffered a head injury and was taken to Jinnah Hospital.
Police also initiated a medical examination to determine if she was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Geo reports that, in her initial statement, she stated that the unfortunate incident occurred because of overspeeding.
What does the friend of Ntasha has to say about her?
The Current talked to a close friend of Natasha, and she asserted that Natasha is openly against drugs and alcohol. She is known to be a level-headed woman, a mother of three children, a daughter and two boys. She described her reaction after the accident as a state of shock because she neither drinks nor smokes.
The friend made it a point to mention that even the mob pushing and hitting her and making videos of her is a typical display of mob mentality and violates her sanctity as a person.
What do relatives of Amna and her father have to say about them?
The relatives of the father and daughter expressed grief over their passing. Imran’s brother said that my brother was a pious man. “He loved her daughter like Prophet (PBJUH) loved His,” he shared sadly. Another uncle demanded justice for Amna and her father.
The neighbours told Aaj News that Imran used to sell finger chips and worked really hard to support his eldest daughter’s education. The family slowly became stable with Amna’s job, yet this accident changed everything. According to an Aaj News correspondent, the family is now suffering, and the mother has lost consciousness.
Amna did her MBA from Karachi University. In one of her colleagues’ social media posts, she said that she specialized in Data Science. Her last text is being shared widely, in which she referred to herself as an MBA student asking to fill out a survey for her thesis.
The colleague talked to The Current, and he shared, “Amna was a humble and determined individual, dedicated to supporting her middle-class family and their future goals. She had a very amiable nature, supporting her friends during challenging times, and exuded a cheerful personality. Her dream was to complete her MBA after she took on the responsibility for all her family members.”
Amna worked as a Business Consultant for the Systems Limited. In a viral social media post, the company has made an Obituary Announcement in Amna’s honour.
Kanwal Ahmed, the founder of Soul Sisters Pakistan, recently shared a screenshot of the deceased victim, Amna Arif’s note for her mother, which she posted in the group where she expressed gratitude for her sacrifices. In a heartfelt note, Amna said that her mother sold clothes just to meet the expenses of her education. “Her sacrifices knew no bounds. She put her own dreams on hold and sold clothes from home to provide with us with the best education we deserved. Her selflessness was unparalleled,” she had recounted.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has called multiple top scorers of the Medical and Dental College Admissions Test (MDCAT) to hold a mock exam as part of an investigation into examination paper leak.
Previously, on Oct 26, Sindh High Court (SHC) ordered a retake of the exam within a month in the province after the inquiry committee found out that the entire test procedure was compromised.
SHC also handed over the investigation to FIA, asking that it should be concluded within two months.
FIA’s Cyber Crime Circle officials in Karachi then issued call-up notices to several students, asking them to appear before the investigation team to answer their questions.
Dawn reports that two such notices were issued by Inspector Arfa Saeed to many female students in which she stated that she is conducting an investigation into the matter of paper leak that has “damaged the career of meritorious students of Sindh”.
A notice served to a top scorer said that she has obtained “194/200 marks or 97pc” in MDCAT 2024, which is “practically… not possible for any student to obtain such a highest marks.”
The inspector also alleged in the notice that it appeared that the student was “involved in leakage of MDCAT-2024” and, hence, “required to appear at FIA Cyber Crime Circle” in Karachi on Nov 1.
Therefore, the student was asked to bring her original computerised national identity card “to answer such questions as may be put to you or your mock exam maybe conducted in this office to examine the actual position”.
“A failure to comply with this legal notice may entail that you have nothing to say in your defence, and legal action based on available evidence on record shall be initiated against you,” warned the FIA notice served to the female students.
FIA confirmed to Dawn that the wording of the notices sent to the top-scoring students was identical and all of them were asked to appear before the agency on different dates to take a “mock exam” and to get their statements recorded under Section 160 of the criminal procedure code.
Notably, one of the points of the inquiry report submitted before the SHC also said that the distribution of marks obtained by candidates across Sindh lacked a pattern.
Dawn quotes, “A notably smaller percentage of students from Karachi (1.18 per cent) and Hyderabad (1.47pc) scored 187 or higher marks, while a significantly larger percentage of students from Tharparkar (7.92pc) and Sujawal (7.32pc) achieved the same score threshold. This disparity, where students from certain rural districts outperform those from highly urbanised areas in the MDCAT test, is difficult to explain.”
A male crew member of the national aircraft carrier PIA was found with 16 new mobile phones strapped to his body on a flight from Canada to Islamabad.
Geo News reports that the PIA employee had 16 brand new expensive mobile phones wrapped around his body for which he was detained by customs officers at Islamabad Airport.
The matter was initially kept secret for several days but has now been revealed in a showcause notice released by the Pakistan International Airlines. Express Tribune reports that the senior flight steward was identified as Faisal Majeed Pehnwar. He is now suspended for smuggling mobile phones from Canada.
The notice addressed the suspended employee, “Upon your arrival at the [Karachi] airport, 16 mobile phones were discovered concealed on your body. This behaviour constitutes a violation of the employee disciplinary policy, leading to your immediate suspension from duty.”
The show cause notice states that the PIA flight attendant arrived in Islamabad in flight PK 782 from Toronto, Canada on October 24.
While leaving the airport, the customs officials became suspicious of Faisal’s behaviour and upon checking, they found 16 expensive mobile phones wrapped around his body under his clothes, which were later confiscated and the employee was detained by airport police.
The PIA issued a show cause notice to the employee and directed him to respond within three days.
The airline in their statement also emphasised that any misuse of company privileges and involvement in smuggling activities would not be tolerated.
Earlier, a video of a Pakistani air hostess being detained by police while trying to smuggle a huge amount of cash hidden in her socks has emerged online.
Experts cite low pay and a lack of job security within the national airline as the primary reasons behind these alleged instances of slippage and smuggling, but above all, it tarnishes the image of the country on an international level.
