Their applause opened my wounds, says mother of Kasur minor killed in 2017

KASUR: Mother of five-year-old Ayesha, who was kidnapped and killed, says she would have died had she been in the place of Zainab’s father place when Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif was applauding the police officials at the controversial news conference.

“My wounds became fresh again when they were clapping,” Shazia Asif, Ayesha’s mother, said while speaking on Geo News’ show Lekin. “They say these policemen should be lauded, I [would rather] send curses on them.”

The aggrieved mother slammed Shehbaz and Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah, saying if they cannot provide justice then should “at least hold their tongues.”

Although the Punjab government claims of arresting the accused, Imran, Ayesha’s mother said she was not satisfied with the result.

Shazia added if the authorities concerned want to pacify her then they should bring the culprit in front of her. “I want to sit in front of him and see fear in the eyes of the person who held our daughters by their hands while taking them away.”

While expressing disappointment over her daughter’s case being brushed under the carpet, Shazia said had Ayesha’s case been solved, similar cases would not have taken place.

“I have come on the media for the first time,” Shazia said, adding no one from the government came to console the grieving couple. 

“Had they come to me, I would have said today that they gave me hope albeit false.”

According to Ayesha’s father Asif, their daughter went missing from the door of their house on January 7, 2017, and after two days her body was found from the plot near her school.

He said that ever since the body was found, they have neither been visited by the police nor were given any DNA report.

After the case was reported, Asif said, the police brought two suspects before him who said they killed Ayesha. “But when I cross-questioned them about my daughter, they could not answer a single question.”

The father said they request the chief justice of Pakistan to take notice and cooperate with them

Asif further added that if Imran is the culprit, then he should be publically hanged.

However, Asif believed, the kidnapping and killing of minors in Kasur was not done by an individual but an entire gang was behind the heinous crime.

The same was reiterated by the parents of five-year-old Iman Fatima, who was also abducted and killed. 

They too believe that a gang was operating behind such incidents. But they were unsure whether Imran’s statements were true or were just government’s claims as they could see loopholes in the investigation.

Speaking on the show, Government of Punjab Spokesperson Malik Ahmad Khan said they have constituted a committee and will contact the families of other victims.

There are some processes which are time-consuming, he added.

But the spokesperson also said there was no effective police oversight in the area, which led to these cases.

Malik Ahmad also spoke about the allegations made by Dr. Shahid Masood regarding Imran, the main accused in the Zainab murder case, having dozens of bank accounts. The spokesperson said the anchor’s allegations were damaging the investigation.

“This is imagination and he should not have reported such allegations which detracked the investigation,” Malik Ahmad said.