Pakistani rickshaw driver dies after self-immolation
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 22 October 2018 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Pakistani rickshaw driver dies after self-immolation, 22 October 2018, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5c34a6f36.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
2018-10-22
A rickshaw in Pakistan (file photo)
A rickshaw driver who set himself on fire to protest against alleged extortion by police has died of severe burns in Pakistan's largest city of Karachi, authorities say.
Local officials said Mohammad Khalid succumbed to his injuries in a Karachi hospital on October 22, two days after setting himself on fire near a police station.
Reports said Khalid refused to pay a bribe to a traffic police officer who then fined the rickshaw driver a ticket amounting to a quarter of his daily earnings.
Following the incident, Karachi police chief Amir Ahmed Shaikh visited Khalid in hospital where he was receiving medical treatment, suspended the accused officer, and initiated an investigation into the case.
Shaikh also instructed police not to impose heavy fines on rickshaw drivers for traffic violations in the city.
A rickshaw is a three-wheeled vehicle carrying passengers.
Based on reporting by AP, The Express Tribune, and Dawn
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
