KARACHI: A fast-moving dumper fatally struck a young man and injured his wife in the Garden area on November 4 police said.
The incident triggered a violent protest as residents gathered at the scene and set the heavy vehicle on fire.
“A garbage truck hit a motorcyclist on Nishtar Road near Karachi Sweets, killing him,” South DIG Syed Asad Raza told Dawn.
He identified the deceased as 23-year-old Shahzeb Shahid and his wife as Misbah.
“The public set the dumper on fire,” the officer confirmed and said that the blaze was later extinguished but nearly half of the vehicle was destroyed.
The dumper driver, Niazullah Afzal, was arrested and booked in a case under Sections 320 (negligent driving) and 337-G (hurt by rash or negligent driving) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Meanwhile, police also registered a separate case against Liaquat Mehsud, the Sindh president of the All Dumper Truck Owners Association, and other suspects for firing on the enraged protesters at the site of the incident.
In the FIR, complainant Abdul Qadir, who introduced himself as a social worker, said he was present at Nishter Road, where at around 3:30am, Mehsud arrived with 20-25 people, including two to three armed men, who resorted to firing on the protesters and fled.
However, a sessions court granted Mehsud interim bail against a surety bond of Rs50,000.
Funeral prayer
Later in the evening, the funeral prayer for deceased Shahzeb was held on Mirza Adam Road and was largely attended by leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Peoples Party and local residents. He was later laid to rest in a nearby graveyard.
Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori visited the residence of Shahzeb and offered condolences to the bereaved family. He termed the incident deeply regrettable and called for exemplary punishment for those responsible for such incidents.
Separately, PTI Karachi president Raja Azhar said that the “dumper mafia” had become unchecked due to the Sindh government’s failure to ensure public safety.
He claimed that so far this year, 731 people had lost their lives in traffic accidents, including 217 killed by heavy vehicles, which he attributed to the government’s “criminal negligence.”
Published in Dawn, November 5th, 2025.