PESHAWAR: Former senator and prominent businessman Taj Muhammad Afridi was killed in a car accident on the M-1 Motorway on Friday, while his driver sustained injuries, according to the National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP).
A spokesperson for the Motorway Police said the accident occurred near Swabi on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway when the vehicle carrying Afridi lost control and plunged off the road.
According to officials, Afridi was travelling from Islamabad to Peshawar when the incident occurred. Preliminary investigations suggest that the accident was caused by a mechanical fault, which led to the driver losing control of the vehicle.
Motorway Police and rescue teams rushed to the scene and carried out emergency response operations. Afridi died in the accident, while the injured driver was provided medical assistance.
Taj Muhammad Afridi was a member of the Senate of Pakistan from March 2015 to March 2021. He also served as the caretaker provincial minister for Relief and Rehabilitation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from January to August 2023.
A well-known business figure, Afridi owned an oil refinery and had previously worked as a contractor for NATO operations in Afghanistan.
In June 2023, he joined the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). He later contested a Senate by-election for a general seat from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as an independent candidate in October 2025 but was unsuccessful.
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