Maryam Nawaz’s Motorcade Allegedly Kills A Motorcyclist: Report

Pakistan’s Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s motorcade allegedly killed a motorcyclist when she was travelling from Narowal to Kartarpur for the three-day celebrations of the Baisakhi festival, reported Dawn.

Her motorcade was going from Narowal to Kartarpur when the Elite Force vehicle hit the motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction at the Chandowal Stop on the Shakargarh Road on Thursday.

The motorcyclist, identified as 23-year-old Abubakar, a resident of Jassar town, died on the spot, Dawn reported.

Despite the accident, the CM’s motorcade did not stop to take the injured to the hospital.

Ali Rizwan, a cousin of the deceased, said that Abubakar was going from home to a filling station where he was employed.

He further said that no official stopped their car to help the injured Abubakar and neither of them picked him up or even called Rescue 1122.

Instead, he lamented, that the police officers came to the spot after the incident and washed the blood from the road with water to remove the evidence, according to Dawn.

Abubakar’s mother, Arifa Bibi said the police car had killed her son, emphasising that his son was supporting the family during the hard times of inflation, adding that her husband, Fakhar Ayaz, was a labourer.

She sought justice from CM Maryam Nawaz, and said that an FIR should be registered against the person responsible for the accident and he should be arrested.

After hearing the news of his son’s death, Abubakar’s father, Fakhar Ayaz, fainted at the shock of it.

He was then shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Narowal, where he remained under treatment for a couple of hours.

District Emergency Officer Muhammad Naeem Akhtar claimed that Rescue 1122 motorcycles and ambulances reached the site immediately after receiving information of the accident but the victim had died on the spot.

He said Rescue 1122 had shifted the body to the District Headquarters Hospital, Narowal.

District Police Officer Muhammad Naveed Malik said that two people, Abubakar and Hamza, were riding the motorcycle and were coming from Jassar Town to Narowal when a high-speed motorcycle coming from behind hit them. Abubakar fell on the right side while Hamza fell on the left side due to the collision of the motorcycles.

The DPO said Abu Bakar, who had fallen on the right side of the road, was hit by the vehicle and died in the accident, reported Dawn.

However, the eyewitnesses, Muhammad Aslam and Attaullah, rejected the police version, saying that there was only one person (Abubakar), riding the bike while the police vehicle was overtaking him.

Abubakar’s cousin Rizwan also denied the statement of the police officers, saying that only Abubakar was riding the motorcycle.

He further alleged that the police were lying to protect the police driver responsible for the accident, Dawn reported.

Rana Lal Badshah, former president of the District Bar Association, Narowal, and a leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), said a judicial inquiry should be conducted into the incident.

Moreover, the Saddar Police Station registered an FIR against the unidentified driver of the police vehicle on the complaint of Ali Rizwan.