Lahore sees mass arrest of underage drivers after DHA incident

LAHORE: Underage drivers have been arrested en masse by the Lahore traffic police following crackdowns launched on the orders of Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, ARY News reported on Friday.

Lahore traffic police launched crackdowns on underage drivers following Caretaker Punjab CM Mohsin Naqvi’s directives after killings of six of a family in a horrific road accident in the Defence area last week.

During the crackdowns, 1,632 underage drivers have been arrested in four days and cases were lodged against them.

Additionally, show cause notices were served to six sector in charges by the CTO Lahore over ineffective crackdowns.

Earlier, Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi ordered crackdown on underage drivers across Punjab.

The development follows after six members of the same family were killed in a road crash in Lahore by an underage driver, last week.

Naqvi has ordered strict action against underage drivers without any discrimination. In this context, IG Punjab, CCPO and all RPOs have been ordered to submit a daily report on the action against underage drivers in the province.

Underage drivers pose risks not only to themselves but also to others. He also urged the parents not to allow their underage children to drive vehicles or motorbikes.

It is pertinent to mention here that six members of the same family were killed in a tragic car accident in Lahore’s Defence Phase 7 area.

The family was reportedly returning home in two cars after visiting relatives in Shadab Colony on Ferozpur Road. As they reached near a roundabout, the car driven by a teenage boy rammed into their vehicle.

Teenage suspect, Afnan Shafqat, who was involved in the deadly road accident in Phase-VII of the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), has ‘intentionally’ rammed his car into the family, it was learned Thursday.