Islamabad police on Monday registered a case for reckless driving against a motorcyclist, who was injured the previous night after being hit by a US embassy official’s car.
On Sunday night, the US embassy’s Second Secretary Chad Rex Auburn hit a motorcycle, injuring the rider, Nazakat Islam, and his pillion passenger. The diplomat initially refused to come out of the car but upon the police’s arrival, he stepped out and identified himself.
Auburn was later taken into custody and shifted to the Secretariat police station. Police also impounded the vehicle and took the diplomat’s cards for verification. However, he was later handed over to the Foreign Office after verification of his documents.
Islam and his companion Mohammad Waseem had suffered minor injuries in the accident and were taken to a nearby hospital. They have since been discharged.
On Monday, a first information report (FIR) was lodged in the Secretariat police station against Islam with Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Mohammad Yousuf as the complainant. According to the report, the accident was a result of Islam’s “negligence and recklessness”.
Islam has been charged with Section 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Another case was lodged in the same police station against the chief security officer of the US embassy in Islamabad, Taimoor Pirzada, for misbehaving with police following the crash between the US diplomat’s vehicle and the motorcycle.
The FIR claimed that Pirzada attacked and misbehaved with the Station House Officer Abdul Sattar — who is the complainant — and tried to stop police from shifting the car and its driver involved in the accident to the station.
Pirzada was charged and arrested under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) of the PPC, the ASI told AP.
He was today presented in Judicial Magistrate Jawad Adil’s court, where he was ordered to sign a surety bond of Rs50,000 in order to secure his bail.
The embassy spokesman offered no comment.
Diplomatic accidents
In a similar incident involving another American diplomat, a motorcyclist in Islamabad was killed after being hit by a vehicle driven by a US military attaché earlier this month.
Defence and air attaché at the US embassy Col Joseph Emanuel was driving a white SUV when he hit Ateeq and Raheel travelling on a motorbike. Resultantly, Ateeq died on the spot while Raheel suffered serious injuries and was hospitalised.
In July 2010, a US embassy officer attached to the embassy’s Force Protection Department, had hit and killed a young man driving a motorcycle on the 7th Avenue.
In February 2013, an administrative assistant at the US embassy hit two motorcyclists with his Land Cruiser near Kohsar Complex at Margalla Avenue. A man was killed and another was injured in the accident.
In 2011, a Central Investigation Agency contractor Raymond Davis caused outrage throughout the country after he killed two Pakistani citizens when he hit a motorcycle in Lahore. The incident strained ties between Pakistan and the US. Davis was led out of the country after blood money was paid to the families of the victims.
In November 2010, a member of the US Regional Affairs Office hit another embassy’s vehicle causing damage to both vehicles at Shahrah-i-Jamhuriat near Radio Pakistan.
Source: Dawn
