A father-daughter duo from a wealthy, influential Pakistani business family have been forgiven by their relatives after she hit them with her luxury SUV, her lawyer said Friday.
The incident drew widespread condemnation as both the deceased belonged to the lower middle class. The rich woman also injured three other motorcyclists after she lost control of her car on the city’s main Karsaz Road.
The accident, which took place on August 19, attracted widespread attention on social media and heated debate on television channels as videos of Natasha Danish appearing distraught and unrepentant about her actions went viral.
According to videos of the incident shared on social media and by the police, as Natasha Danish hit Imran Arif and his daughter Amna Arif from behind, their motorcycle was smashed to pieces.
Imran used to sell newspapers in shops while his daughter worked in a private firm.
After the hearing at the Sessions Court on Friday, Barrister Uzair Ghauri, representing the bereaved families, told the media outside the court that they (the families) had forgiven the driver in the name of Allah.
After the incident, the defence lawyer had claimed that the accused had mental health issues and was undergoing treatment since 2005.
The victim’s family presented an affidavit in the court forgiving the accused.
The settlement between the affected families and the accused was presented before the judicial magistrate court where the case was pending, following which the accused was granted bail.
Soon after this, allegations started appearing on social media that the family had accepted blood donation.
He said, “The bereaved families have forgiven the accused in the name of Allah and it is an unfounded rumour that they have taken blood money (diyaat in Islamic Sharia laws) to forgive him for their death.”
Under Sharia law in Pakistan, the victim’s family/heirs can forgive the accused even if he has caused someone’s death.
This law is called the Qisas and Diyat law. Qisas means “punishment by causing equal injury to the same part of the body of the culprit” and Diyat means “compensation payable to the heirs of the victims.” Defense lawyer Barrister Aamir Mansoob said, “The court has released Natasha on bail, she can go anywhere in the world.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)