PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday ordered a private transport company to pay diyat (compensation) to the families of four passengers, who were killed in an accident of its bus on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway last month.

A bench consisting of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Mohammad Nasir Mehfooz upheld an order of the Highway and Motorway Police of not allowing the buses of the Niazi 88 Group company to ply on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway until it pays diyat to families of the passengers and submit an undertaking that its divers will be careful behind the wheel in future and will abide by the relevant traffic laws and rules.

The bench was hearing a petition filed by the Niazi 88 Group against the order of the National Highway and Motorway Police to ban its buses on the motorway after the Aug 18 deadly accident.

Deputy attorney general Amir Jawed and superintendent of police (motorways M1) Shah Asad appeared before the bench and said the driver and helper of the bus in question were involved in reckless driving and had escaped after the accident.

The SP said he visited the accident site and spoke to the surviving passengers, who insisted that the driver had handed over the steering wheel to his helper before taking a nap.

He said speeding and the helper’s inexperience caused the bus to overturn killing four passengers and injuring three.

The official said the driver and helper had survived the accident and had gone into hiding whereas the petitioner company had failed to produce them before the Police.

The bench observed that the drivers of the private transport companies had been driving on Motorway as if they were performing in “death well” of a circus. It was observed that they often indulge in speeding which resulted into accidents and loss of precious lives.

Meanwhile, the bench also ordered the provincial government to expedite repair of the Swat Expressway and produce a report until Oct 15.

It regretted that the Swat Expressway was inaugurated only six months but it was in bad shape.

The bench directed the Motorway Police not to allow any vehicle with faulty headlights to use the expressway.

The deputy attorney general and SP (motorways) said around 12,000 vehicles were fined on the motorway in the current year for violating traffic rules and Rs2.4 million fine had been recovered from them.

They said motorists involved in speeding were also fined.

They said repair of the expressway where needed was in progress.

The bench was hearing a petition seeking orders for the relevant authorities to repair the Swat Expressway and Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway.

It fixed Oct 15 for the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2020