ISLAMABAD: The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) has imposed a ban on Faisal Movers‘ operations within the jurisdiction of the Motorway North Zone for 30 days effective from December 31, 2024, till to January 29, 2025.
The decision was taken after the tragic road accident involving the Faisal Movers Bus, travelling from Bahawlapur to Islamabad, which resulted in the killing of 11 lives and injuring 14 others.
The suspension order, issued by the Deputy Inspector General NHMP Motorway (North) Zone, cited multiple violations of safety regulations and operational protocols as the reason for suspending the operations of Faisal Movers Services.
The NHMP has stated that operations will only resume after the company fulfills the safety conditions outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) issued by the NHMP Central Police Office in August 2021.
According to the NHMP, the accident occurred when the bus got out of control of the driver due to the dozing wheel and went onto the verge and turned turtle.
Faisal Movers’ violations
The police reported various violations by the company and the driver including the route permit.
The bus was operating on a route for which it did not have a valid permit. It was authorized to travel from Kot Mithan (Rajanpur) to Rawalpindi but was found operating outside its designated route, illegally travelling on the CPEC M-14 Motorway.
Furthermore, the report revealed that the bus’s tracker was not made available to the NHMP for monitoring, violating safety protocols.
“A review of the tracker history revealed that the bus was traveling at 112 km/h at the time of the accident, exceeding the motorway’s speed limits,” it added.
Moreover, only one driver was assigned to the bus, and he had been driving for more than five consecutive hours, breaching NHMP regulations.
“The company’s claim that a tire burst caused the accident was deemed invalid, as the violations and discrepancies pointed to negligence on the part of the company and the driver,” the NHMP said.
