The Sindh High Court on Monday granted bail to a female driver involved in the Karsaz road accident, in a drug-related case, against surety bonds worth Rs1 million, emphasizing the need for further investigation.
On August 19, the woman’s luxury vehicle collided with several others near the Pakistan Maritime Museum in Karachi, resulting in the deaths of a young woman and an elderly man, identified as 26-year-old Aamna Arif and her father, 60-year-old Imran Arif. The driver, who sustained a head injury, was treated at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). Earlier this month, she was granted bail in the manslaughter case after the victims’ family pardoned her.
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However, a separate case was filed when methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth, was found in her blood and urine samples. At the hearing, the suspect’s counsel, Farooq H Naek, informed the court that she had already secured bail in the manslaughter case, and a reconciliation had been reached between the two parties. The public prosecutor argued that the suspect had been under the influence of drugs at the time of the accident.
Naek contested the prosecution’s claim, citing ambiguity in the medical reports. He noted that while methamphetamine was detected in the urine sample, the blood report was clear, suggesting the possibility that medication prescribed by her psychiatrist could have influenced the results.
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The court’s verdict acknowledged this discrepancy, stating, “The applicant’s blood sample found no narcotic, sedative, psychoactive, or any foreign compound, while the urine sample detected methamphetamine. This contradiction between the two reports makes it a case of further inquiry.” The bench also took into account the suspect’s circumstances, highlighting that she is a mother of three school-going children, including a young daughter, and had already spent six weeks in jail.
The accident occurred on August 19, when the suspect’s speeding vehicle killed a man and his daughter and injured two others on Karsaz Road. Initially charged with reckless driving and manslaughter, a separate case was filed under Section 11 of the Prohibition (Enforcement of Hadd) Order 1979 after her medical report confirmed she was under the influence of methamphetamine. The victims were taken to JPMC for medico-legal formalities and treatment, and the suspect claimed that her car lost control on the service road, leading to the tragic accident.