Speeding cars accompanying Nawaz Sharif's 'homecoming' motorcade crushed a nine-year-old child to death in Lalamusa on Friday, DawnNews reported.

According to DawnNews, the child was among a crowd of supporters gathered to greet Nawaz Sharif as his motorcade passed through Lalamusa.

It seems that he strayed onto the road and was hit by one of the cars belonging to the Elite Force before multiple following cars ran over him without stopping.

According to eyewitnesses, the child succumbed to his injuries while the vehicles passed over him. While a mobile health unit was accompanying the deposed prime minister's motorcade, bystanders said no car stopped to take stock of the child's condition.

The child's father lost consciousness, experiencing heart palpitations, after he saw his child's body on the road, DawnNews said.

Locals said that the father was shifted to a nearby hospital, where doctors fought to save his life.

As news of the boy's death made national headlines, Nawaz Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, took to Twitter to express grief over the incident and said that the local PML-N leadership had been asked to provide assistance to the grieved family.

Later in the evening, while addressing a political gathering in Gujranwala, Nawaz Sharif offered his condolences over the incident and promised that he will visit the victim's family. He labelled the deceased boy as the first 'martyr' of his struggle for strengthening democracy in the country and led a prayer for him.

Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb also regretted the incident in a statement. Similarly, PML-N leader Musaddiq Malik expressed sorrow over the child's death and sent his condolences to the family.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah shifted blame, saying the child had been hit by "some other vehicle which was speeding to join Nawaz Sharif's motorcade."

Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique, while expressing sympathies for Ahmad’s family, added that the child was the "first martyr of this struggle, which is aimed at bringing the supremacy of law and justice to everyone in the country.”

Nawaz Sharif's son-in-law echoed similar sentiments, terming the child's loss "a sacrifice for Pakistan" while noting that "millions of others had also sacrificed their lives during Pakistan's creation."

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...