LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday denied post-arrest bail to an underage driver in a DHA road accident case that claimed the lives of six members of a family.

Judge Khalid Arshad dismissed the bail petition of Afnan Shafqat after hearing arguments from the prosecution and the petitioner side.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that the police had completed their investigation and there was no need to keep his client behind bars. He asked the court to release the accused on bail.

A prosecutor said the trial of the case had been started and the accused did not deserve bail at this stage.

The Defence police registered the FIR on a complaint of Rafaqat Ali, who lost his wife Rukhsana Bibi (45), son Husnain (25), daughter-in-law Ayesha (23), son-in-law Sajjad (30), four-month-old grandson Huzaifa and granddaughter Anaya (4) in the deadly road accident.

Besides driver Afnan, his father Shafqat Ali, and friends, Ali Abdullah, Muhammad Saad and Muhammad Ibrahim, have also been declared guilty of multiple offences in the police challan.

The investigation report said the underage accused and his friends first harassed the women passengers before hitting their car.

Shafqat, a real estate dealer, had been accused of illegally letting his underage son drive.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024