Karsaz traffic accident: UK driving licence not valid without local permit, court told

KARACHI: Citing the deputy inspector general of police (DIGP) traffic (licensing and training), the investigation officer (IO) in the Karsaz traffic accident case told the court that a British driving licence was not applicable in Pakistan without acquiring a local permit from the department concerned.

The IO, Sub Inspector Rehan Ahmed, filed an interim investigation report before Judicial Magistrate (East) Muhammad Raza Ansari on Thursday in which he charge-sheeted suspect Natasha Danish for recklessly driving a Toyota Land Cruiser and killing Imran Arif and his daughter Amna and causing injuries to Abdul Salam and Shane Alexander under the influence of ice (methamphetamine) at the time of the incident.

He sought time for submitting the final charge sheet on the ground that reports of forensic analysis, including that of a close-circuit television (CCTV) footage, inspection of the SUV involved in the incident from the NED university and other reports, were still awaited.

In his report, quoting a legal opinion of the DIGP traffic regarding the validity of a British driving license in the country, he said that an international driving permit (IDP) was mandatory for British citizens to drive in Pakistan. Without the permit, a driver was not authorised to drive in the country with a British driving license, he explained.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2024