Ex-Minister’s wife, son die in road accident

Islamabad: Former Federal Minister and a senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Balighur Rehman lost his wife and son to a road accident on Monday night.

He was not travelling with them at the time of accident. Three other people were injured and reportedly in a critical state.

According to the news reaching Islamabad, the family was on its way from Islamabad to their native city Bahawalpur when the car overturned near Gojra Interchange on the Motorway.

Rehman’s wife and son, identified as Waliur Rehman, died on the spot, while three others including another son, a daughter and the driver are seriously injured.

The injured were shifted to hospital where condition of the wounded people is also stated to be critical.

Monday saw another fatal accident in Islamabad as a speeding passenger van rammed into the Motorway Toll Plaza in late hours killing some twelve persons.

The fuel tank of the wagon exploded and the vehicle caught fire as a result the passengers and the driver trapped inside.

By the time rescue personnel could reach and extinguish the fire, eight people had lost their lives while four breathed their last later at the hospital.

Poor road safety measures, condition of the vehicles and above all drivers’ negligence often result in fatal road accidents and cause loss of precious lives in Pakistan.

According to a senior official of the National Highway & Motorways Police (NHMP), SSP Asghar Ali Yousafzai, the statistics show that around 36,000 people were killed in road accidents across the country in 2018.

He, while referring to the statistics, said it showed road accidents claimed 1.2 million lives worldwide every year with the disregard of traffic laws by the deceased to blame.

He said that death incidence would considerably reduce if a sense of respect for road signs and traffic laws was inculcated among drivers and motorcyclists.

“We are making all efforts to check such deaths by ensuring adherence to traffic laws by road users but sometime it happens drivers fall asleep or the vehicle is not in good condition,” he said.

A senior administrative officer of Islamabad said a formal request has been made to the NHMP authorities to hold an inquiry into the accidents.

Rehman has served as Federal Minister of State for Education in the PML-N government’s last tenure. In 2018 elections however he lost from his National Assembly’s constituency.