HARIPUR: A passenger was killed and 13 others injured, four of them seriously, when a tourists’ van collided with a truck from behind on the Hazara Motorway, 15 km from the district headquarter.
According to police and rescue officials it remained unclear whether the truck was entering the motorway from a rest area or the van struck it while overtaking. The impact of the crash was severe, causing the truck to overturn, injuring its driver.
Rescue 1122 spokesperson and Kotnajibullah police said that on Sunday morning a Toyota van on its way back to Islamabad from Gilgit carrying 12 tourists from different areas of the Punjab when it crashed against a Mazda truck in front of rest area of Hazara Motorway near Kotjanibullah.
As a result, a passenger namely Muhammad Asif son of Naseem Awan, resident of Rawalpindi, died on the spot while 13 others were injured.
Rescue teams, motorway police and FWO personnel responded promptly, shifting the deceased and injured to the Haripur Trauma Centre. Four critically injured passengers were admitted for further medical treatment.
The deceased was identified as Muhammad Asif of Rawalpindi. Those injured included Umar, Ali Raza, Mudassar Ali, Hussain, Nauman, Muhammad Ahmad, Tauseef, Waleed, Faiz, Muhammad Qasim, Sohaib, Muhammad Afzal and Subhan. Police have registered criminal case against driver Afzal, who is also among the injured.
NINE ARRESTED IN MURDER CASE: Haripur police have arrested nine suspects involved in a double murder and firing incident near GT Road Darwesh.
During a press conference. DPO Haripur Shafiullah Gandapur told journalists that on March 26 victims Abdul Razzaq his son Iftikhar and rickshaw driver Danish were returning home from court hearing on a rickshaw and when they reached near Madina CNG armed men on a van and motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire on them resulting in the immediate death of both father and son, while Danish sustainedbullet wounds.
Following the incident, the DPO saidhe formed a special team led by DSP City Saeed Yadun and SHO City Siddique Shah. After conducting raids and search operations across the district, the police successfully tracked down and apprehended all nine suspects nominated in the FIR.
Those arrested were identified as Naqash Ahmed, Aftab Ahmed (alias Mohsin), Dilzak Khan, Fayyaz Ahmed, Khanvez, Chan Zeb, Sajid Iqbal, Sher Dad, Ramzan. Police have also recovered two motorcycles, a high roof van, two rifles and a 30 bore pistol used in the incident from the accused.
The motive behind the broad daylight was an old enmity.
Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2026
