A group of lawyers allegedly assaulted contractor Touqeer Nazir when he was produced before a court in Multan on Tuesday in connection with the death of 15-year-old Waseem Abbas, an orphan who was killed after being struck by a speeding car in a private housing society. According to reports, some lawyers became enraged during the court proceedings and allegedly slapped and punched the accused. The court approved the police request for physical remand and remanded Touqeer Nazir in police custody for four days for further investigation.

Police had arrested Touqeer in connection with the incident and taken the vehicle involved in the case into custody. A murder case was registered against him on the complaint of the police. According to police, Waseem had been learning electrical work under Touqeer. In his initial statement, the suspect claimed that the teenager would leave work without permission and that he had tried to stop him. The suspect reportedly said he followed Waseem in his car to catch him. Police said the teenager was allegedly chased on foot before Touqeer pursued him in a vehicle, accompanied by another man identified as Amjad Ali.

During the pursuit, the speeding car struck Waseem, causing him to hit the gate of a house. He died at the scene, police said. Orphanage administrator Jawad Haider confirmed that Waseem, a resident of Muzaffargarh, was 15 years old and had reportedly been living in an orphanage for six years. He had been handed over to Touqeer to learn electrical work. His cousin, Nadeem, said the teenager often expressed reluctance to continue learning electrical work and wanted to return home instead.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)