In the early hours of Sunday, an enraged mob in Karachi set fire to at least seven dumper trucks after a road accident on Rashid Minhas Road resulted in the deaths of two siblings.
The tragic incident occurred late Saturday night in the Federal B Area of the city when a truck ran over a motorcycle.
Speaking to reporters, SP Gulberg Iqbal Shaikh stated that a father, his son, and daughter were on the motorcycle at the time of the collision. All three were injured, but the siblings—22-year-old Mahnoor and 14-year-old Ahmed Raza—later died from their injuries.
Following the accident, angry residents of the area started setting several dumper trucks on fire. The police officer said that the dumper truck driver was assaulted by the residents before being taken into custody in an injured state. He confirmed that seven dumper trucks were torched and that operations are underway to clear the burnt vehicles from the road.
A police spokesperson said the dumper driver was arrested on the spot, and 10 suspects involved in setting the trucks on fire were also detained. The spokesperson added that more arrests would be made with the help of CCTV footage.
Due to the incident, traffic on Rashid Minhas Road was suspended and is being diverted from the Sohrab Goth flyover towards Sharea Pakistan Water Pump.
Dumpers Association Protests
The All Pakistan Dumpers Association staged a sit-in on the Superhighway to protest the torching of the seven trucks, blocking both lanes of the major artery. According to a traffic police statement, traffic was diverted from Punjab Adda to Sohrab Goth police station and from Adil Shah bus stop to Gulshan-e-Iqbal.
Liaquat Mehsud, President of the dumper association, said in a statement, “We will not leave until the accused are arrested,” claiming that nine of their vehicles were damaged by the protesters.
However, the protest has since ended after successful negotiations between the police and the association, and the Super Highway has been reopened to traffic. The alliance demanded that “those who burn dumpers should be arrested within 72 hours” and called for compensation from the Sindh government, claiming that as many as 33 dumpers had been set ablaze in recent months.
Speaking to the media, the brother of the injured man said that Shakir sustained severe head injuries and was admitted to Jinnah Hospital. “The injured father doesn’t know that his son and daughter have died,” said Zakir, the brother of the injured man. He said the family was returning home from the Malir area when the fatal accident occurred. Zakir added that 22-year-old Mahnoor was set to be married next month. “We want justice; this is an appeal, these accidents should be stopped,” he demanded.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered at the Yousuf Plaza Police Station at the request of the victims’ uncle, which includes a section related to unintentional murder.
Governor Tessori Expresses Grief
In a statement issued by Governor House, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori expressed deep sorrow over the loss of two lives and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured father. He also appealed to residents to avoid taking the law into their own hands.
Tessori directed the Sindh government to ensure strict punishment for the responsible driver and to control the “dumper mafia.” He stressed, “The Sindh government should rein in the dumper mafia that is endangering people’s lives.”
