ISLAMABAD: Chief Jus­tice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Wed­nesday took suo motu notice of the recent killing of a traffic warden who was hit and run over by a fast-moving SUV belonging to an influential member of the Balochistan Assembly in Quetta.

The traffic warden, Sub-Inspector Haji Attaullah Dashti, was run over and killed near GPO Chowk in Quetta on June 20. MPA Abdul Majeed Khan Achakzai of the Pak­htunkhwa Milli Awami Party was arrested and remanded in police custody in this case.

Before proceeding to Saudi Arabia for Umrah, the CJP took notice of the incident and called a report from the Inspector General of Police, Balochistan, within three days.

Initially, police registered a case of accident against unidentified people. But after the CCTV footage of the accident went viral on social media and was repeatedly shown by TV channels, Balo­chistan police chief Ahsan Mehboob decided to lodge a manslaughter case against the MPA, who is also the chairman of the Bal­ochistan public acc­ounts committee.

Later, Mr Achakzai, who was elected from a Qila Abdulla constituency (PB-13), was taken into custody and produced before a judicial magistrate on June 24. The court remanded him in police custody for five days.

Before his arrest, the MPA had also appeared on some TV channels and provided some justification for the accident. He admitted to be driving the vehicle when the accident took place and also expressed his desire to settle the issue with the victim’s family as per tribal traditions. He expressed his willingness to pay the blood money to the deceased family and compensation to an injured passer-by.

As the family of the late policeman lives in Dera Ghazi Khan, the MPA decided to go there along with tribal elders to meet them. However, he was arrested prior to his departure.

The CJP also directed the Dera Ghazi Khan district police officer, through the Punjab IGP, to ensure that there shall be no threat/pressure on family of the deceased warden.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2017