• Heavy vehicle runs over, kills teenage boy and his sister on Rashid Minhas Road
• 14 held for setting trucks on fire
• Transport body ends road blockades after successful talks with govt
• Opposition parties slam traffic police, Sindh govt for failing to protect Karachiites’ lives
• Those inciting riots will face terrorism charge: Sharjeel

KARACHI: The death of two siblings in a fatal accident involving a heavy vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning sparked violent protests as enraged people torched seven trucks, prompting transporters to block the Superhighway to vehicular traffic for hours.

The accident took place on main Rashid Minhas Road near UBL Sports Complex at 3:15am when a fast-moving dumper hit a motorcyclist and his two pillion riders. As a result, Mahnoor, 22, and her brother, Ahmed Raza, 14, died on the spot, while their father, Shakir, 48, suffered critical injuries, said Central SSP Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi.

The police said that despite late hours a large number of people gathered at the scene and some youths set the dumper on fire.

They said that the enraged people also beat two drivers and torched six more dumpers on the both tracks of the main road that falls within the jurisdiction of the Yusuf Plaza and F.B. Industrial Area police stations.

The SSP said the police reached the spot, apprehended the driver of the dumper and impounded the vehicle. The police cordoned off the area and set up diversions and fire tenders were called to put off the fire.

“Furthermore, the police have arrested 14 suspects over charges of torching the dumpers and more arrests are being made with the help of videos and technical evidence,” the official said.

Rescue-1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that three dumpers were set on fire near UBL Sports Complex while four others coming from the Sohrab Goth side were torched near Lucky One Mall.

He said that despite hindrance firefighters reached the scene and doused the fire. However, three dumpers were completely destroyed.

Dumper association’s protest

Members of the dumper transporters’ association staged a protest on the Rashid Minhas Road first and then at Sohrab Goth, where they blocked the Super­highway by parking heavy vehicles and creating other temporary barriers.

The blockade triggered hours-long traffic jams and caused hardship to a large number of people coming from and going to upcountry via M-9 motorway.

The track leading to Gulshan-i-Iqbal from Sohrab Goth flyover was also blocked for vehicular traffic.

The Central SSP said the police held talks with the transporters but they refused to end their protest and open the key arterial link.

Later, senior Sindh government functionaries intervened into the matter and invited transporters for talks.

A delegation of transporters called on Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon at the Commissioner Office and announced ending their protest after they were assured that the government would provide them compensation for the vehicles torched in arson attacks.

“A committee is being formed to assess the losses suffered by the transporters,” according to a statement issued by the minister’s spokesperson Husain Mansoor.

Deceased siblings laid to rest

Later in the evening, deceased Mahnoor and her teenager brother, Ahmed Raza, were laid to rest amid moving scenes in the New Karachi area.

A large number of people attended their funeral prayers.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) leader Monem Zafar Khan, who attended the funeral prayers, accused the provincial government of criminal negligence.

“This is not the first time innocent lives have been lost due to unregulated heavy traffic,” he told the media. “The PPP government and traffic police have utterly failed to enforce any meaningful restrictions. Karachi is not a jungle, but the roads have become lawless zones where drivers of dumpers and tankers operate without fear.”

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Arsalan Khalid echoed similar sentiments, slamming both the Sindh government and traffic police for their incompetence.

“How many more children need to die before the PPP wakes up? These are not accidents; these are murders by negligence,” he said.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan said in a statement that Karachi was being run on an ad-hoc basis, with no thought given to the safety of its citizens.

“The city contributes the most to Pakistan’s economy, but when it comes to governance, Karachi is treated as an orphan. Innocent children are dying on the streets while the Sindh government sleeps,” it said.

Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi chief Afaq Ahmed also condemned the failure of both the traffic police and the transport department.

“The PPP has no interest in saving the lives of people. There is a mafia operating under the protection of the ruling elite, allowing unfit and reckless heavy vehicles to roam freely,” he said.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2025