The teenage son of Justice Mohammed Asif of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was remanded into police custody on Tuesday in a case where two young women lost their lives after being hit by a speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV).
Judicial magistrate Shaista Khan Kundi issued the remand order on the police’s request.
According to a First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Secretariat Police Station, the accident occurred late on Monday night near the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) in Islamabad, when a black SUV allegedly driven by the judge’s son struck two girls who worked at the PNCA.
The victims were riding a scooter when they were hit by the SUV and reportedly died on the spot. Police reported that the vehicle fled the area immediately after the collision.
The FIR, lodged on the complaint of Sub-Inspector Muhammad Asghar, states that police traced the vehicle through its registration number and later reached a private hospital where the suspect had reportedly been taken for medical treatment.
He was subsequently taken into custody, and medical and forensic samples were collected, and the vehicle was impounded for examination.
Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 322 (manslaughter) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code have been invoked in the case.
The investigating officer informed the court that further custody was required to complete the investigation, including verification of the suspect’s medical report, vehicle inspection and eyewitness statements.
After reviewing the case record and police request, the court approved 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 underway to obtain CCTV footage and determine whether speeding or negligence was involved, while authorities assured the families of the victims that the case would be investigated strictly on merit.
In Islamabad in 2022, an SUV allegedly driven by the daughter of a Lahore High Court judge ran over two persons near the Sohan bridge on the Expressway and the investigation into the case had remained stalled.
As per the details available in the judicial record, on June 8, Shakeel Tanoli and his colleague, Hasnain Ali, were going home at midnight when they were hit by an SUV allegedly driven by a woman.
In July, 2024, Inspector General of Islamabad Police Ali Nasir Rizvi informed the IHC that the vehicle involved in the hit and run case was driven by a woman and was in the use of Supreme Court Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed.
In February this year, a local court in Islamabad acquitted Shanzay Malik, the daughter of the Supreme Court judge. The verdict was announced by Judicial Magistrate Adnan Yousuf, who accepted the acquittal application filed by Malik’s legal team.
