Gul Ahmed employees, Natasha's friends defend her after deadly Karsaz accident

A recent deadly accident on Karsaz Road in Karachi has sparked widespread outrage and demands for justice, however, alleged employees of Gul Ahmed Fabrics and friends of the prime suspect, Natasha Danish Iqbal, have come to her defense.

The horrific accident, which occurred on August 19, resulted in the deaths of two people and injured four others.

Despite the severity of the accident and the suspect's alleged intoxication while driving, some individuals have defended Natasha, citing that "she was dealing with depression and frustration, and that the accident was not intentional".

"Natasha is not a criminal; it was an accident. We all make mistakes. She was distracted while driving because she was dealing with depression, frustration, and other issues. She wasn't drunk or on drugs at all; the police confirmed this. She should pay a heavy penalty to the victim's family. Thousands of people die in road accidents every year in Pakistan; this is just another case. It’s better to help the victim's family with some money (which is called diyat in Islamic terms) since they were already struggling. Natasha will be out soon, Inshallah. It was an accident, and she deeply regrets it." a woman wrote in the comments section of Dialogue Pakistan's post, who according to her Facebook bio is an executive at Gul Ahmed Fabrics Islamabad.

She also shared a post on her social media platform's timeline, trolling those demanding justice for the victims.

In the comments section of her post, several other people put their support behind the prime suspect in the case.

Following are the screenshots of some of the comments.

However, the nation remains in shock and is demanding justice for the victims. 

Many have expressed anger at the defenses being made for the alleged suspect, saying that the severity of the accident and the loss of life cannot be ignored.

The residents of the port city have also announced to stage a protest today (August 24) at Karachi Press Club at 4pm to demand justice for the victims of the Karsaz accident.

In the accident, Amna Arif, along with her father, lost her life when a speeding car driven by the suspect, allegedly a member of the prominent Gul Ahmed family, lost control and rammed into four motorcycles and two cars on Karsaz Road on August 19.

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.

The suspect was arrested by the police from the crime scene and was sent to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) for a medial 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 Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC).

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

Imtiaz Arif, uncle of Amna Arif, vowed to fight for justice and punishment for the suspect.

"I want to make it clear through the media... We are not looking for any sort of compensation. I am looking for the punishment. I am looking for justice. I am looking for final decision similar to what we will be getting on the day of judgement," he said while talking to media outside court.