A judicial magistrate in Karachi’s District East has acquitted the female driver linked to the deadly Karsaz accident in a separate narcotics case. The court cited a clear lack of evidence and noted that the prosecution failed to prove the charges.
The defence counsel strongly argued that neither the chemical analysis nor the blood test detected any trace of methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth or ice. The lawyer further claimed that the samples collected by police had been tampered with. He also alleged that the investigating officer deliberately concealed the blood test report during the probe. Finding the evidence insufficient, the magistrate cleared the accused in the narcotics matter.
The tragic incident took place on 19 August 2024. The driver’s luxury vehicle crashed into several other vehicles near the Pakistan Maritime Museum on Karsaz Road. The collision claimed the lives of 26-year-old Aamna Arif and her 60-year-old father, Imran Arif. Several other people suffered injuries and were rushed to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for treatment. The two deceased were also brought to the hospital for medico-legal formalities.
The female driver herself sustained a head injury in the crash and underwent a CT scan at the same hospital. Blood and urine samples were taken from her as part of the routine medico-legal examination. On 31 August 2024, police announced that methamphetamine had been found in those samples. A separate case was then registered against her under laws related to the use of a prohibited substance.
This latest acquittal stands completely separate from the murder case that was filed over the deaths of Aamna and Imran. In October 2024, a district and sessions court had already acquitted the same driver in that case after the victims’ families submitted a formal reconciliation agreement. The heirs had earlier pardoned the suspect and informed the court they had no objection to her bail, stating that the accident was not intentional.
With both the narcotics charges and the murder case now resulting in acquittal, the legal chapter connected to the Karsaz Road crash has taken a decisive turn. The court’s decision rests purely on the absence of reliable scientific evidence linking the driver to the prohibited substance.
