The National Highways and Motorway Police (NHMP) has imposed a 30-day ban on Faisal Movers’ operations within the Motorway North Zone, effective from December 31, 2024, to January 29, 2025. The suspension follows a tragic accident that claimed 11 lives and left 14 others injured.
The fatal incident occurred when a Faisal Movers bus, traveling from Bahawalpur to Islamabad, veered out of control, overturned, and crashed. According to NHMP investigations, the accident was caused by the driver dozing off at the wheel, highlighting serious safety violations.
In a statement, the NHMP cited multiple breaches of safety regulations and operational protocols as the primary reasons for the suspension. The department emphasized that Faisal Movers will only be permitted to resume operations after complying with the safety conditions outlined in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) established by the NHMP Central Police Office in August 2021.
Safety Violations Identified
The NHMP’s inquiry revealed several violations by the company, including unauthorized route operations. The bus, which was authorized to travel between Kot Mithan (Rajanpur) and Rawalpindi, was found illegally operating on the CPEC M-14 Motorway.
Additionally, the company failed to provide the bus’s tracker data for monitoring purposes, breaching safety protocols. Tracker history later showed the vehicle was traveling at 112 km/h—exceeding the motorway’s speed limit—at the time of the crash.
Further investigation exposed staffing violations, as only one driver was assigned to the bus, who had been driving continuously for over five hours, violating NHMP regulations.
While Faisal Movers initially attributed the crash to a tire burst, NHMP dismissed the claim, concluding that the accident resulted from negligence by both the company and the driver.
Future Compliance Measures
NHMP officials stressed that Faisal Movers must strictly adhere to safety regulations before being allowed to operate on the Motorway North Zone again. Compliance with monitoring systems, route permits, and driver fatigue management protocols has been made mandatory to prevent similar incidents in the future.
