KARACHI: In a heart-wrenching incident, a pregnant woman gave birth to her son minutes after she and her husband were run over and killed by a fast-moving water tanker in the Malir Halt area on Monday. The newborn, however, could not survive, police and rescuers said.

They said that Abdul Qayyum, 25, was taking his full-term pregnant wife, Zainab, to a doctor for check-up on his motorcycle when the fatal incident took place on the junction of Malir Halt and Sharea Faisal.

Korangi-SSP Mohammed Tariq Nawaz said that the woman gave birth to a baby after the tragic accident, but the infant could not survive.

DIG-Traffic Pir Mohammed Shah told Dawn the water tanker heading towards Sharea Faisal from Model Colony hit a motorcycle after its brakes failed. As a result, the motorcyclist and his pillion wife suffered critical injuries and died on the spot.

Afaq, MQM-P blame govt indifference for rise in fatalities involving heavy vehicles

Witnesses and police said that the woman gave birth on the main road before breathing her last. The bodies of the newborn and his father and mother were shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for medico-legal formalities.

Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed said that the mother was badly crushed in the accident, but there was no injury mark on her baby’s body.

The DIG said traffic police officials present there caught the driver responsible and seized the tanker.

In another incident, another man, identified as Asif, 32, was run over and killed by a heavy vehicle in the Quaidabad area.

The police surgeon said the body was brought to the JPMC for medico-legal formalities.

Parties blame govt for rise in fatal accidents

The incident sparked an outcry on social media, with citizens expressing anger over the deaths and criticising the provincial government for failure to curb the rising fatal accidents on the city’s roads.

Political parties also came on hard on the authorities for not doing anything to stop the reckless driving by heavy vehicles.

MNA Asiya Ishaq of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) condemned the deaths and expressed her anger over the situation. She said tanker and dumper drivers in the city have “crossed all limits” by challenging the government’s authority and reckless driving.

Similarly, Mohajir Qaumi Movement chairman Afaq Ahmed said that heavy vehicles are crushing the citizens of Karachi but the authorities are doing nothing. “These are not accidents; they are transport killings. If we raise our voices about this, we are made the culprits,” he said.

Mr Ahmed warned that if the government is not willing to listen, his party will “launch a peaceful protest movement in accordance with the law after Eid,” to resolve the issue.

Published in Dawn, March 25th, 2025