ISLAMABAD: Once again it was a US Embassy vehicle, involved in a deadly road accident in the Federal Capital as on Sunday evening, a US Embassy vehicle rammed into a small car, killing a woman on the spot while leaving another five ciritically injured. The incident took place at Faisal Chowk where a Suzuki Khyber car, violated the traffic signal and came in front of the US Embassy . While taking immediate action over the incident, police arrested the driver of the US Embassy vehicle and lodged a case at PS Margalla. Police officials said the dead body and injured people were shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS). The deceased woman was later identified as Nadia Bibi, however, the identification of the other persons was not yet known. Sources said that all belonged to one family in Rawalpindi who were heading towards Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). This is not the first incident of it’s kind. Infact the US Embassy officials, big or small, have a history of taking the road as their father’s land and running over anybody who comes their way. Amd the worst part is that the always get away due to diplomatic immunity. Though, on this occassion, it seems that the other driver was at fault, yet the involvement of the drivers driving US Embassy vehicles in the road accidents has been a regular feature for Islamabadites. On October 16 “ 2018, a motorcyclist had been wounded after being hit by a vehicle of the United States consulate in Karachi. A female official of the US consulate was driving the car when this accident took place in front of PIDC building. People surrounded the car which was later brought to a police station for investigation and the foreign woman travelled back to the consulate in another vehicle. On April 7 “ 2018, a United States diplomat, Colonel Joseph Emanuel, ran a red light and rammed into a motorcycle killing a Pakistani civilian. He was let go by police officials after the accident as he had diplomatic immunity from criminal prosecution. Col Joseph enjoyed diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961. A writ petition filed in the Islamabad High Court was also dismissed. Sir Joseph was briefly detained for killing a motorcyclist and injuring his pillion passenger in a hit-and-run. This was the third road accident in recent years in which US diplomats had hit and killed people in Islamabad, but they got away with it because they had diplomatic immunity. The incident took place in the afternoon on the foothills of the Margallas near the zoo. A fastmoving SUV, said to be driven by the US defence and air attaché, jumped the lights and hit a motorcycle carrying two men at a traffic signal. The police said one of them, identified as Atiq Baig, 22, died due to a head injury. His cousin Raheel Ahmed also suffered injuries. They said that the driver had tried to speed away but he was stopped at a nearby checkpoint, where police tried to question him. He, however, refused to get off from the vehicle ” a white Land Cruiser. The area police arrived at the scene and asked the driver to surrender himself. Shortly, several locals and foreigners arrived there on different vehicles and introduced themselves as officials of the US embassy. The man driving the vehicle was introduced as Col Joseph Emanuel Hall, the defence and air attaché at the US embassy in Islamabad. He asked the police to clear the way as he had diplomatic immunity. Senior policemen later visited the spot and took the defence attaché and his vehicle as well as a colleague, to PS Kohsar. They asked the other US diplomats to submit written statements about the incident and the diplomatic status of the suspects, later the driver was allowed to leave. The police, however, impounded the vehicle and took the diplomat’s cards for verification. An eye on the accidents involving US Embassy vehicles. *In 2018, US Consulate lady injured motorcyclist *In April 2018, a US diplomat ran red light killing motorcyclist *In July 2010 US Embassy vehicle killed biker *In Nov 2010 US diplomatic vehicle hit another embassy vehicle *In Feb 2013, administrative assistant killed one biker, injuring other
