The Pakistani woman, who mowed down two people with her Toyota Land Cruiser in Karachi, is “mentally weak”, her lawyer has said. Natasha Danish, after the incident, was caught on camera with an unsettling smile on her face, reportedly taunting the angry mob with the statement, “Tum mere baap ko nahi jantay” (You don’t know who my father is).
The accident occurred on August 19, when Natasha attempted to make a turn on Karsaz Road in Karachi, colliding with a motorcycle and a parked car, killing a father-daughter duo and injuring at least four.
The next day, Natasha’s lawyer, Amir Mansub, talked to The Times of Karachi reporters about his client’s state of mind.
“She doesn’t know that she had an accident and drove a car,” he stated. “She is mentally weak. In this condition, people don’t remember things. She doesn’t know that she had an accident; she doesn’t know that she drove the car. She is not in the right frame of mind, absolutely not at all.”
“She doesn’t know that she had an accident and drove a car, she is mentally weak”, the statement of the accused’s lawyer on the Karsaz traffic accident.#TOKAlert #Karachi #Karsaz #Accident pic.twitter.com/zKJ3XpEAMC
— Times of Karachi (@TOKCityOfLights) August 20, 2024
Asked why the 32-year-old was allowed to drive in her “sensitive condition”, the lawyer said her family was unaware she was out for a drive. “Her family did not know that she was driving a car. Otherwise, there were restrictions that she should drive a car and shouldn’t go out. But she just left,” he said.
He further revealed she had been struggling with mental health issues for “the past 5 years” and was on medication at the time of the accident. He also mentioned that she was seeking treatment in the Jinnah Hospital.
An FIR was lodged against Natasha Danish at the Bahadurabad police station in Karachi following the fatal incident. It was filed by Imtiaz Arif, whose brother Imran Arif and niece Amna Arif died in the accident. The complaint invokes sections 320, 337-G, 279, and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code, pertaining to rash and negligent driving, hurt and mischief, Dawn reported.
However, despite facing multiple charges, Natasha spent the night at home and not in police custody. On August 20, law enforcement authorities were unable to present her in court, citing her ongoing psychiatric treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). The investigation officer requested a 14-day police remand, but the court only granted a one-day remand, as reported by Dawn.
