Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his family members had a narrow escape when cars in his motorcade collided with each other after suddenly finding their way blocked by a traffic police vehicle parked in the middle of a key highway.
Chaudhry's daughter sustained minor injuries but others escaped unhurt in the accident, which occurred on Monday night on the Lahore-Islamabad highway.
The accident occurred when the convoy of the Chief Justice's cars suddenly found its way blocked by a traffic police vehicle parked in the middle of the highway. Six vehicles, including five in Chaudhry's motorcade, collided with each other and some flipped over, media reports said.
A senior official of Pakistan's Supreme Court said the road accident was "highly unusual" and needed a thorough investigation.
"This is something highly unusual," Supreme Court Registrar Faqir Hussain told The News daily, adding the incident should be thoroughly probed to ascertain the truth. Police needed to ascertain whether the accident occurred due to negligence on the part of traffic police or "something else", Hussain said.
Top lawyer Athar Minallah, who served as Chaudhry's spokesman during the period he was deposed from the post of Chief Justice, said the top judge's actions are making "certain strong circles uncomfortable".
The facts did not lead to the conclusion that the incident was an accident, he said.
SSP (Islamabad) Tahir Alam said the incident was being investigated. A joint investigation team had been formed by the Interior Ministry to conduct the probe, he said. Rawalpindi police chief Muhammad Aslam Tareen said he was surprised that a traffic police inspector had blocked the VIP's route after police had been informed about the Chief Justice's travel plans.
There are reports that Chaudhry is facing threats following his restoration to the post of Chief Justice in the wake of nationwide protests led by opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif.
The apex court's decision to strike down the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO), a controversial law promulgated by ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf two years ago that gave President Asif Ali Zardari and many of his key aides immunity in corruption cases, appears to have shaken up the political establishment.
Chaudhry yesterday ordered a two-judge bench to begin hearing petitions challenging the amnesty granted to Zardari and his aides from December 7.