The teenage son of Justice Mohammed Asif of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was taken into police custody on Tuesday in a case in which two young women lost their lives after being run over by an SUV.
Judicial Magistrate Shaista Khan Kundi issued the remand order on the request of the police.
According to a First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Police Secretariat Police Station, the accident occurred late on Monday night near the Pakistan National Council for the Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad, when a black SUV allegedly driven by the judge’s son ran over two girls working at the PNCA.
The victims were riding a scooter when they were hit by an all-terrain vehicle and reportedly died instantly. Police reported the vehicle fled the area immediately after the collision.
The FIR, lodged on the complaint of sub-inspector Muhammad Asghar, claims that the police tracked the vehicle through its registration number and then reached a private hospital where the suspect had reportedly been taken for medical treatment.
He was subsequently detained, medical and forensic samples were collected and the vehicle was confiscated for examination.
Sections 279 (rash driving or traveling on a public road), 322 (murder) and 427 (harm causing harm) of the Pakistan Penal Code have been invoked in the case.
The investigating officer informed the court that further custody was needed to complete the investigation, including verification of the suspect’s medical report, inspection of the vehicle and eyewitness statements.
After reviewing the case file and police request, the court approved the physical remand of the suspect for further investigation. The bodies of the deceased were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for an autopsy.
Police said efforts were being made to obtain CCTV footage and determine whether there was speeding or negligence, while authorities assured the victims’ families that the case would be investigated strictly on merit.
