Natasha secures bail after paying Rs5.5 crore 'diyat' to Karsaz accident victims family

The Additional District and Sessions Court East in Karachi on Friday approved the bail petition of the prime suspect in the Karsaz car accident case, Natasha Danish Iqbal.

The court granted bail to the accused against the surety bonds of Rs100,000.

Earlier today, the heirs of the victims, Imran Arif and Amina Arif, reached a settlement with Natasha and pardoned her.

According to sources, Natasha's family paid over Rs5.5 crore as 'diyat' (blood money) to Amina's family through a pay order.

A relative of the victims family will also be given a job in the Gul Ahmad company.

The agreement was made in accordance with Sharia laws, and affidavits were prepared on behalf of the victim's surviving son Usama Arif, wife and daughter.

The affidavits stated that the parties have settled the matter amicably and have no objections.

“Matters have been settled between us and we have pardoned the suspect. We have forgiven for Allah’s sake, who’s the most kind and most merciful,” read the affidavit.

“We have given this no-objection certificate without any pressure. What we have said in the affidavit is absolutely correct,” it added.

The affidavit was submitted in the court during the hearing of the suspect’s plea seeking bail.

The injured persons in the incident were also reconciled with and paid separately.

The settlement came after a series of developments in the case, including the declaration of Natasha's British driving licence as inadmissible, the granting of interim bail to her husband, and the submission of CCTV footage for forensic examination.

Background of the case:

The driver, allegedly a member of the prominent Gul Ahmed family, was involved in a car accident on August 19 that resulted in the tragic deaths of two persons and left four others injured.

In the accident, Amna Arif, along with her father, lost her life when a speeding car driven by the suspect lost control and rammed into four motorcycles and two cars on Karsaz Road.

Four others were injured in the accident, out of which one was critically injured.

Abdus Salam, one of the four victims injured, was put on a ventilator after his condition deteriorated due to his injuries, according to family sources.

Following the incident, several Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage emerged in which the suspect was seen committing the crime.

Natasha was arrested by the police from the crime scene and was sent to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) for a medical checkup.

According to sources, the woman was intoxicated at the time of the accident.

The suspect’s lawyer, Amir Mansoob, said his client was a psychiatric patient and had been under treatment for her condition for five years.

Natasha's counsel told the media that his client had no memory of the incident and was "not in the right frame of mind".

In response, the reporters asked why the family allowed the suspect to drive a car in such "a severe mental condition".

The lawyer claimed the family was unaware that Natasha had taken the car as "they had imposed restrictions on her due to her mental condition".

However, she was declared mentally fit by the psychiatrist of JPMC.

Later, the City Court in the port city sent Natasha to jail on a 14-day judicial remand on August 21.

On August 31, she was booked in another case for drug use. The case was registered at the Bahadurabad police station after the presence of banned drugs was confirmed in the urine and blood samples of the accused.

However, on September 2, the suspect was granted permission to appear in the court hearing via video link due to security reasons.

On August 4, she also filed a bail plea in the court citing her history of mental health issues and previous treatments from multiple psychiatrists. 

Later, the court issued notices to the relevant parties regarding her bail application.