Fatal Sherani Bus Crash Leads to Charges Against Driver and Company Executives

The FIR alleges reckless driving, and authorities have sealed the bus company’s office, while compensation schemes have been announced for victims.

QUETTA – Police have registered a case concerning the tragic passenger coach crash that claimed dozens of lives at Dhanasar police station in the Sherani district.

The deceased coach driver, identified as Babu Ustad, along with the management of Mekhtar Bus Company, have been named as suspects in the FIR, which is filed under Sections 322, 320, 337‑G, 279, 427, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code, per the complaint of SHO Zulfiqar Ali.

Following orders from Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, officials sealed the bus company’s office and launched a formal investigation, questioning several individuals linked to the incident.

Officials reported that 26 victims have been identified and their remains have been returned to their hometowns, while identification efforts continue for the remaining cases; most of the deceased were from various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with some traveling to Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announced a compensation package of PKR 2 million for the families of each deceased victim and PKR 1 million for each injured survivor.

According to the FIR, a verbal altercation occurred between the driver and several passengers shortly before the accident.

The complaint records two passengers stating to the driver, “When you reach Peshawar, we will not spare you.”

The FIR does not disclose the underlying causes of the dispute reported by injured passengers.

Upon arrival at the scene, police noted that the New Mekhtar Company bus had veered into a deep ravine; initially, 31 fatalities and 17 injuries were confirmed, with one of the injured later succumbing, raising the death toll to 32.

The FIR alleges that driver Babu Ustad deliberately operated the vehicle in an enraged state, endangering passengers, and that the bus company’s owners and management share legal responsibility.

Published in Dawn on July 5, 2026

Source link