KARACHI: The family of a father-daughter duo who were killed in a headline-grabbing hit-and-run accident in Karachi last month have pardoned the main suspect Natasha Danish, according to an affidavit released to the media on Friday.
The case sparked widespread public and media outrage, with people alleging the police were not investigating it properly as the suspect was from a wealthy and influential family.
CCTV footage of the accident was widely circulated on social media, showing a Toyota Land Cruiser allegedly driven by Iqbal hitting a motorbike, killing a woman and her father. Five others were also injured in the incident. The vehicle’s alleged driver is the wife of well-known businessman Danish Iqbal. She is the CEO of Metro Capital (Private) Limited and JSDN Electric Limited, two companies owned by her husband under the Metro Power business group.
Iqbal’s lawyers initially used long-term psychiatric treatment as a defense but the suspect’s urine sample later tested positive for methamphetamine or ‘ice.’
“I, Romana Imran, widow of Imran Arif [...] do hereby state on oath. I say that we face amicable patch-up with the matter and I being the widow of the deceased have forgiven the above-mentioned accused person Natasha Danish and Muhammad Danish Iqbal in the name of Almighty Allah who is very kind and merciful,” the affidavit submitted in court and seen by Arab News said.
Bearing Imran’s signature, the affidavit quoted her as saying she had no objection if the court granted bail to Iqbal as the “unfortunate” incident was an “unintentional accident.” Romana said she was filing the affidavit “without any pressure, force, compulsion, coercion and enticement.”
Although the affidavit did not mention if any money exchanged hands, deals that involve “blood money,” called diyat, as compensation paid to victims’ families are a common and accepted practice in Islamic law and Pakistan’s criminal code.
