Former MPA Majeed Achakzai acquitted in Quetta traffic warden hit-and-run case

Published September 4, 2020
A screengrab from the CCTV footage which showed a vehicle belonging to Majeed Achakzai rammed into a traffic warden in Quetta in June 2017.
A screengrab from the CCTV footage which showed a vehicle belonging to Majeed Achakzai rammed into a traffic warden in Quetta in June 2017.

A local court in Quetta on Friday acquitted former Balochistan lawmaker Majeed Khan Achakzai in a case regarding the death of a traffic warden in a hit-and-run incident over three years ago.

Judge Dost Muhammad Mandokhail of a model court acquitted the former chairman of the provincial Public Accounts Committee due to lack of evidence. The court's detailed judgement has not been issued as yet.

Achakzai was arrested days after a fast-moving vehicle belonging to him hit and ran over traffic warden Haji Attaullah at Quetta's GPO Chowk in June 2017. The warden suffered serious injuries and later died at hospital.

Related: Quetta traffic policeman run over by Balochistan MPA: police

Initially, police registered a case of accident against unidentified persons. But after the CCTV footage of the accident went viral on social media and was repeatedly shown by TV channels, Balochistan police decided to lodge a manslaughter case against the former MPA, who belongs to the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party.

However, he was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) six months later and had been out of jail since then.

On Friday, Achakzai appeared before the court as the judge announced the verdict.

After his arrest, terrorism charges were included in the first information report (FIR) lodged against the former lawmaker.

However, a court in Quetta had ordered the removal of the terrorism charges on his appeal and the case was transferred to a model court.

Following the incident, Achakzai had appeared on some TV channels and attempted to provide some justifications. He had admitted to 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.

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