Editorial: Ice-cold Power

Last week, when the Karsaz incident came to light, waves of outrage swept the internet as people decried another senseless killing — of a father and his daughter on a motorbike — at the hands of an elite driver in a luxury car, identified as Natasha Danish.

People strongly condemned her nonchalant demeanour seen in videos circulating social media which were recorded moments after the accident.

Natasha also injured a few people that day (reported number varying between 2-5), one of whom is currently fighting for his life on a ventilator.

Surrounded by a large mob, people demanded that the police arrest her, but with Rangers encircling her, she was eventually escorted by private security guards.

Some claimed that Natasha was drunk at the time, while others suggested the influence of drugs.

Some demanded the death penalty while others expressed despair over the justice system, recalling all prior cases involving offenders belonging to influential backgrounds who got away with it — including premeditated murders.

The Current’s previous Editorial contented that since the Karsaz accident was not a premeditated murder, the public should wait for Natasha Danish’s medical report, including her psychological check-up, since, according to her lawyer, she had been on medical treatment for the past five years.

The Editorial also posed a question whether it was fair to jump to conclusions based on one’s appearance and means.

To sum it up: avoid reactionary conclusions on stereotypes and let the law take its course.

We were not wrong but Natasha certainly was.

The days that followed proved every stereotype right yet again.

Natasha Danish was deemed mentally healthy, her medical reports detected use of an illegal recreational drug called ice, she has a British driving licence, and above all, she is the wife of an influential businessman, Danish Iqbal, who is the chief executive officer of Gul Ahmed Energy Limited.

This might explain her unapologetic smirk after the accident — that too at the time when the dead bodies of 60-year-old Imran Arif and his 22-year-old daughter, Amna were lying on the road.

It also explains the consequential anger and despondency among the masses who know that they could be next, lying dead on the roadside, with no justice in the end, and their lives reduced to just another number that can be muffled with the exploitation of money.

It has also been reported that the injured man, who is battling for his life on a ventilator, has not been contacted by Natasha’s family, while the deceased victims’ family have not received a visit to express remorse or even offer condolences to the grieving family.

In fact, according to sources, Natasha’s family claims that her medical reports are doctored, persistently defending her while overlooking the loss of lives.

The recent developments also change the case legally as activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir explains, “Now Natasha will still be charged with manslaughter because of rash and negligent driving.” And while charges will be added for driving under the influence, it cannot be termed as murder since “the drugs were not consumed with the intention to run over somebody.”

“We may not have forgiven them in our hearts, but we have pardoned our son’s killers in the name of Allah. We cannot spend our entire lives in fear… we took the decision considering the circumstances.”

These were the words of the mother of 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan who was shot dead by Sharukh Jatoi, son of a feudal lord, in 2012. The case was taken to an anti-terrorism court in 2013, where Jatoi and other culprits were sentenced to death but in the end, Khan’s parents had to pardon them.

Now that another high-profile case has come to light in a country where justice can be forcefully bought instead of served, the final verdict will decide what so many now truly believe: is Pakistan really for the ice-cold rich?