Dead driver, bus owners booked in Sherani bus crash case

• FIR alleges reckless driving; authorities seal company’s office • Most victims belonged to KP • Compensation announced for deceased, injured QUETTA: Police have registered an FIR over the tragic passenger coach crash that claimed dozens of lives at Dhanasar police station in Sherani district. The deceased coach driver, Babu Ustad, has also been nominated in the FIR, along with the Mekhtar Bus Company management and owners. The case has been registered under Sections 322, 320, 337-G, 279, 427 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of SHO Zulfiqar Ali. Authorities have sealed the bus company’s office and launched an investigation on the directives of Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. Investigators have questioned several people in connection with the incident. Officials said 26 victims had been identified and their bodies dispatched to their native areas, while the identification process for the remaining victims was continuing. According to officials, most of the deceased belonged to various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while some were travelling to Islamabad and Rawalpindi. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced compensation of Rs2 million for the families of those killed and Rs1m for each injured passenger. According to the FIR, there was an altercation between the bus driver and some passengers before the accident. The FIR states that two passengers told the driver, “When you reach Peshawar, we will not spare you. ” It says the driver became enraged and replied, “If you make it safely to Peshawar, then you can decide whether or not to spare me. ” However, the FIR does not mention the reasons behind the dispute that some injured passengers had described. According to the complainant, when police reached the scene, the New Mekhtar Company bus had plunged into a deep ravine. Initially, 31 people were found dead and 17 injured. One of the injured later succumbed to injuries, raising the death toll at that stage to 32. The FIR alleges that driver Babu Ustad deliberately and recklessly drove the bus in an enraged state, endangering the lives of passengers. It further states that the owners and management of the bus company also bear responsibility and have been nominated in the case in accordance with the law. Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2026

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