RAWALPINDI -  Former Chairman Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Khalid Shamim Wynne along with a friend died in a fatal road accident near Chakri Interchange here on Saturday, sources in the Motorway Police informed The Nation.

The sources said that the land cruiser of the retired army officer overturned when one of its tyres burst on the motorway near the Chakri Interchange in the limits of Chontra Police Station.

As a result, General (Retd) Khalid Shamim Wynne and his friend identified as Muhammad Zubair died on the spot.

However, the sources said, his son Muhammad Umar and driver Muhammad Bashir remained unhurt. The ambulance service of the Frontier Works Organisation shifted the deceased and the two survivors to the Trauma and Emergency Centre of the Combined Military Hospital for autopsy and medical treatment.

They said that former CJCSC General (Retd) Khalid Shamim Wynne along with his son Muhammad Umar and friend Muhammad Zubair was going to his home located in Lahore via motorway in a land cruiser being driven by his driver Muhammad Bashir when a tyre of the vehicle burst at 1:15pm near the Chakri Interchange. They said that the driver lost his control over steering and as a result the vehicle overturned. In the fatal accident, General (Retd) Khalid Shamim Wynne and his friend Muhammad Zubair died but his son and driver remained unhurt.

The sources said that the vehicle of ex-General also smashed into another jeep moving ahead that also overturned. However, travellers in the jeep remained safe.

A heavy contingent of Chontra and Motorway police rushed to the scene and cordoned off the area. Later on, ambulances of FWO arrived at the scene and moved the dead bodies and the two survivors to CMH, Rawalpindi for post-mortem and medical treatment. A formal report about the occurrence of the incident was registered in the Police Station Chontra.

Besides top military brass, some local police officers, including Superintendent of Police Saddr Circle Iftikhar ul Haq visited the CMH to get apprise themselves of the situation. The Rescue Service of Motorway police also removed the damaged vehicles from the accident place in a bid to make motorway open for traffic.

General (Retd) Khalid Shamim Wynne was promoted as four-star General and replaced General Tariq Majid as the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee on October 7, 2010. He was appointed as CJCSC by the then President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari on the advice of former Prime Minister Syed Yusaf Raza Gillani. General Khalid Shamim Wynne reached his age of superannuation on October 7, 2013.

ISRAR AHMED