Two daily wage workers were killed when a car allegedly travelling at high speed crossed the central divider on Murree Road in Rawalpindi and struck multiple vehicles, including motorcycles, in a collision that has prompted families to demand a full and transparent reinvestigation.
The victims, identified as Muhammad Zohaib and Rizwan Ali, were employed on daily wages at a cafeteria linked to a federal institution and were the sole breadwinners for their families. Witnesses and relatives say both men died at the scene while others suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
According to the police report registered on the statement of an on-duty officer, a Honda City crossed the divider at high speed, collided with an oncoming vehicle and struck two motorcycles. The FIR attributes the incident to rash and negligent driving but lists the driver as unidentified at the time of registration.
Family members have alleged that a female driver present at the scene was allowed to leave without being detained, formally recorded or immediately named in the case. Relatives say they were told by police to retrieve the bodies and proceed with burial while the legal process was delayed, and that the driver later obtained bail before any formal arrest took place.
The victims’ families further claim the driver failed to produce a driving licence when she appeared at the police station days after the crash, and that she was helped to escape the scene with the assistance of a traffic warden and a private security guard. These allegations of preferential treatment and procedural lapses have not, the families say, been adequately investigated.
Legal counsel for the bereaved warned that essential investigative steps may have been compromised at the outset, including immediate seizure of the driver, verification of her licence, conducting necessary medical or toxicology tests and accurately recording how she left the scene. The lawyer described these omissions as potential criminal negligence that could weaken future prosecution.
In written appeals to the Chief Minister of Punjab, the Inspector General of Police and senior Rawalpindi police officials, the fathers of the deceased urged a reinvestigation that names all individuals allegedly involved in facilitating the driver’s escape and holds accountable any officials responsible for mishandling the matter. They stressed that Zohaib and Rizwan left home that morning simply to earn a living and never returned, leaving behind children and dependents with no source of income.
Families and their counsel insist that a transparent probe into the Murree Road crash is essential not only to secure justice for the victims but to restore public confidence in traffic law enforcement and investigative integrity in Rawalpindi.
