Achakzai Sentenced to 10 Years in Traffic Cop KillingPakistan

The court also directed Achakzai to pay diyat, or blood money, to the legal heirs of the deceased officer. It issued non-bailable arrest warrants against him and ordered that he be arrested immediately and sent to prison.

The case dates back to June 20, 2017, when Ataullah, a traffic sub-inspector on duty at GPO Chowk in Quetta, was struck by a vehicle driven by Achakzai. The officer died from his injuries, and the incident drew widespread attention at the time.

Achakzai, a leader of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party who was elected to the Balochistan Assembly in 2013, was later acquitted by a trial court in September 2020. The state challenged that acquittal, and the high court has now accepted the appeal after a legal battle that stretched over nine years.

Section 320 of the Pakistan Penal Code deals with death caused by rash or negligent driving, rather than a charge of intentional killing. The provision allows for imprisonment of up to ten years along with diyat, and the court handed down the maximum term in this case.

The ruling brings a measure of closure for the family of the traffic officer, who had waited years for the appeal to be decided. It also sends a signal that public office offers no shield against the law when a life is lost on the road.

Reports available at the time of publication did not confirm whether Achakzai had been taken into custody, or whether he plans to challenge the verdict before the Supreme Court. The court’s order for his immediate arrest means the next steps in the case are likely to become clear quickly.