Families of the two girls, who were run over by the son of Justice Mohammad Asif of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) last week, have forgiven the accused, bringing the case to an end.

 

According to reports, Judicial Magistrate Shaista Kundi heard the matter at the District and Sessions Court after the teenage accused completed his four-day physical remand. 

 

During the hearing, the families of the victims appeared before the court and announced their decision to pardon the accused, namely Abuzar.

 

The brother of one of the deceased girls recorded his statement in court while their mother gave her statement via video-link.  The father of the second victim also recorded his statement in court.

 

Following reconciliation between both families and the accused, the court ordered the closure of the case.

 

The court also approved bail for the accused and ordered his release.

 

The accident, which took place five days ago at Secretariat Chowk on the federal capital’s Shahrah-e-Dastoor, involved the IHC judge’s SUV that hit the women while they were commuting via a scooter.

 

Both girls passed away on the spot, and were later identified as Samreen and Tabinda.

 

Police registered a case at Secretariat Police Station on the complaint of Samreen’s brother and arrested Abuzar. 

 

Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 322 (manslaughter) and 427 (mischief causing damage) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) were 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 had approved physical remand of the suspect for further investigation. The bodies of the deceased were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) for autopsy.

 

Authorities had assured the families of the victims that the case would be investigated strictly on merit.