ISLAMABAD (MNN); The teenage son of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Mohammed Asif was handed over to police on physical remand Tuesday after a speeding SUV he was allegedly driving struck two young women, killing them on the spot.
Judicial Magistrate Shaista Khan Kundi approved the police request for remand.
According to the FIR registered at the Secretariat Police Station, the accident took place late Monday night near the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA). A black SUV, allegedly driven by the judge’s son, hit the two girls who worked at the PNCA and were travelling on a scooter. Police said the vehicle fled the scene immediately after the crash.
The FIR, filed by Sub-Inspector Muhammad Asghar, states that the police traced the SUV using its registration number and later found the suspect at a private hospital, where he had reportedly gone for medical treatment. He was taken into custody, medical and forensic samples were collected, and the SUV was seized for inspection.
Police invoked Sections 279 (rash driving), 322 (manslaughter), and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The investigation officer told the court that further custody was necessary to verify the suspect’s medical report, conduct a detailed vehicle inspection, and record eyewitness accounts.
After reviewing the case file, the court granted physical remand. The bodies of the victims were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences for post-mortem examination.
Police added that they were working to obtain CCTV footage to determine whether overspeeding or negligence caused the incident. Officials assured the victims’ families that the investigation would be handled strictly on merit.
The case has drawn comparisons to a 2022 Islamabad hit-and-run incident where an SUV allegedly driven by the daughter of a Lahore High Court judge ran over two individuals near Sohan Bridge, with the investigation remaining stalled for a long period.
Judicial records show that the victims, Shakeel Tanoli and his colleague Hasnain Ali, were returning home at midnight on June 8 when they were struck by an SUV driven by a woman.
In July 2024, Inspector General of Islamabad Police Ali Nasir Rizvi informed the Islamabad High Court that the SUV involved in that case was being used by Supreme Court Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmed.
In February this year, a local court acquitted Shanzay Malik, daughter of the Supreme Court judge, after Judicial Magistrate Adnan Yousuf accepted her legal team’s application for acquittal.
