Lahore DHA accident: Punjab CM orders crackdown against underage drivers

• Orders issued after family killed in Lahore DHA accident.
• LHC orders indiscriminate action against underage drivers. 
• Terrorism clauses added in FIR against teenage driver. 

LAHORE: Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday ordered a crackdown against underage drivers across the province after a family was killed by a teenage driver in DHA Lahore.

Naqvi directed the inspector general of Punjab police, capital city police officer Lahore and regional police officers to take action against those driving cars and bikes without a license.

“Underage drivers are not only a threat to others but themselves as well. Parents should not allow underage kids to drive cars and bikes,” Naqvi appealed while issuing the directives.

The action comes after a teenage driver named Afnan killed a family of six in an accident in Lahore’s Defence Phase 7.

According to The News, teenage driver Afnan had clashed with the victims and threatened them before hitting their car.

The driver followed the women sitting in the car from Y Block for quite some time. Hasnain, the driver of the victims' car, sped up his vehicle multiple times so that Afnan could give up the chase, but the accused did not give up and continued harassing the family.

However, Hasnain later stopped the vehicle and scolded Afnan for his behaviour.

Hasnain's father, travelling in another car, also asked Afnan to stop harassing the women but he rammed his car into the victims' vehicle at a  speed of 160km/hour near McDonald's Chowk.

After the accident, Hasnain's car flew 70 feet away from the road and all the occupants died on site. Four people came to rescue but the suspect ran away after seeing the anger of the people.

The teenager has now been taken into custody.

The case has been handed over to deputy superintendent Kahna with sections of terrorism and murder added in the first information report.

LHC orders arrest of drivers without license

Meanwhile, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered the authorities to arrest drivers driving without a license and expressed displeasure over the violation of traffic rules.

Justice Ali Zia Bajwa passed the remarks while hearing an appeal filed by the suspect challenging the insertion of Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

The stance taken in the application was that the accused being less than 18 years of age, should be tried in a juvenile court. As per the petitioner, Section 302 has been unnecessarily included in the FIR.

Today when the court took up the petition it summoned the CTO Lahore and the senior superintendent operations.

Once the officials came, Justice Bajwa remarked that the car accident was a very sad one.

During the hearing, the CTO Lahore informed the court that there are 7.3 million cars while 1.3 million people have valid licenses.

The court then asked what action was being taken against those driving without licenses and what action had been taken following the accident.

The CTO Lahore informed the court that they had launched a crackdown in the last three days.

However, the court remarked that when a traffic warden stops someone they say that they are a lawyer, or a judge’s son or state that they are a relative of an SSP.

“Action should be taken indiscriminately,” said the court. Justice Bajwa also observed that this type of crime usually occurs in posh areas.

The court then also asked what action was being taken against those who give their cars to underage children.

The CTO informed the court that there are laws for such cases and 999 cases have been registered against those driving without a license.