Last Updated on November 10, 2026 by YeJahan
YEJAHAN REPORT
QUETTA (Nov 10): Nine years after a speeding vehicle struck and killed Traffic Sub-Inspector Attaullah at Quetta’s GPO Chowk, the Balochistan High Court (BHC) has overturned the acquittal of former provincial lawmaker Abdul Majeed Achakzai, sentencing him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
A two-judge division bench of the BHC, comprising Justice Muhammad Aamir Nawaz and Justice Abdul Qayyum, announced the verdict on Tuesday after accepting an appeal filed by the Quetta police against the trial court’s September 4, 2020 decision.
In addition to the prison term, the court ordered Achakzai to pay diyat (blood money) to the legal heirs of the slain traffic official. The bench also issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the former member of the Balochistan Assembly and directed law enforcement authorities to take him into immediate custody to serve his sentence.
Nine years after the murder of Traffic Sergeant Attaullah in Quetta Abdul Majeed Achakzai has finally been sentenced to 10 years in prison. https://t.co/NSmubo0X36
— Hafsa Malik (@kashmiricanibal) November 10, 2026
The incident occurred in June 2017 when Sub-Inspector Attaullah was performing his duties at GPO Chowk. Achakzai was returning from a Balochistan Assembly session when his fast-moving vehicle ran over the policeman. Attaullah sustained critical injuries and later succumbed to his wounds at a local hospital.
Initially, police registered a routine traffic accident case against unidentified individuals. However, after closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of the collision went viral on social media and aired repeatedly on national television channels, public outcry prompted Balochistan police to nominate Achakzai in a manslaughter case.
An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted him bail six months after his arrest. In September 2020, a local trial court in Quetta acquitted him of all charges, a ruling that sparked widespread criticism and led the provincial police to challenge the verdict in the high court.
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Abdul Majeed Achakzai is a senior leader of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and a close relative of party chairman Mehmood Khan Achakzai. He has been elected to the Balochistan Assembly twice, previously serving as a provincial minister and as chairman of the assembly’s Public Accounts Committee.
Copyright YeJahan News Network, 2026
