Netizens hit out at Express Tribune and ARY News for deleting Karsaz accident stories

Netizens have hit out at Pakistani media, particularly The Express Tribune and ARY News, for removing their stories following the tragic accident on Karsaz Road on August 19.

In this incident, Natasha Iqbal, the wife of prominent Karachi industrialist Danish Iqbal, struck and killed two people with her speeding SUV as it collided with bikers and pedestrians.

Many in the Pakistani media deleted their reports once it became known that Natasha, married to the Chairman of Gul Ahmed Energy Limited and the Metro Power Group, belongs to an elite class.

According to police reports, Natasha’s vehicle first hit a motorcycle and then struck other vehicles and pedestrians before crashing onto the service road. The accident resulted in the deaths of 60-year-old Imran Arif and his 23-year-old daughter Amna, who were returning home from Imran’s office when the tragedy occurred.

Lawyer and political activist Jibran Nasir criticized The Express Tribune and ARY News for shielding the wealthy driver. He took to X (formerly Twitter) to question the media outlets: “Can @etribune and @ARYNEWSOFFICIAL explain why they have removed the Articles/News Items from their websites about Natasha Danish and the Karsaz Accident? The original news articles show up in Google search, but the source content has been removed from the websites.”

Nasir further condemned the platforms for being swayed by money, stating, “Can money buy you complete immunity in Pakistan? You can run over and kill people in broad daylight, and the media will make sure everyone forgets about it. Forget about justice and conviction; here you are protected from even getting condemned.”

Also read: Who was Amna Arif, one of the victims in Karsaz car crash?

Other social media users echoed similar sentiments. Haider Rizvi commented, “Economic interests often prove to be greater killers of news stories than even life-threatening situations or pressure from the state and other groups.”

Anas Tipu also pointed out the deletion of Tribune’s articles, saying, “All three stories about the Karsaz accident were deleted by Express Tribune. They don’t care about press freedom when it comes to the rich and elite.”

Zarish K. shared a detailed video and screenshots showing that although articles about the incident still appear in search results, they are no longer accessible on the Express Tribune website. She captioned her post, “This is a perfect example of how power and wealth can twist the truth, leaving justice in the dust. The elite mafia manages to cover up their wrongdoings, escaping public scrutiny, and keeping themselves above the law. Meanwhile, the innocent and poor suffer in silence.”