KASUR: Abuzar Ameen, 18, student of Pre-Medical second year, brother of seven-year-old Zainab whose murder after abduction and sexual abuse sent shock waves across Pakistan and around the globe, vowed to continue the education of his other two sisters.
“Zainab’s murder is the attack on Pakistan. It is high time the people should wake up against the injustice and police brutality,” Abuzar told The Nation at his house located in Muhallah Court Road in front of Mosque Sher-e-Rabbani.
Visibly Abuzar looked shattered as he talked about his sister. He kept on touching his black cap showing his nervousness as well as state of agony and uncertainty after the gruesome murder of his sister. “The worrisome situation arose when we could not find any clue to Zainab’s whereabouts after searching for one and half hour. The murderer kidnapped my sister around 7 pm and around 9 pm we approached the police.
“The response was very disappointing. We searched the CCTV footage and provide it to the police.
“Police failed to work on the case. The person behind these serial killings of minors is same. It is huge failure of police that the culprit is roaming around freely and targeting children,” he said.
Abuzar’s parents were in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah from December 21, 2017. They were supposed to return on January 11th. They had taken a 21-day package for Umrah. Zainab’s murder news raised an uproar among the residents of Kasur. Huge demonstrations started in the city that turned violent when police resorted to dispersing the crowd by force. This led to killings of three protesters. “People of my city were protesting to defend the honour and dignity of my sister and police started live firing on the unarmed protesters. They were killed and murdered in a broad day light unjustly.
“My sister was going for her daily Quran lessons. She was abducted, raped and murdered. If the climate of fear will prevail people will not allow their girls to go for education,” Abuzar said.
Khawar Shezad, 22-year-old, is student of electrical engineering at Lahore Poly Technical Institute in Kasur. “Government has not taken notice of the series of rapes and murders of minors in Kasur.
“The mothers and sisters of Kasur took to the street and staged their peaceful protest but the police resorted to using force to disperse them,” he said.
17-year-old Yasir Ali , a student of 9tth class at Govt MCI High School was holding a stick in his hand and wearing black band on his head was stopping the vehicles near Steel Bagh Roundabout. Yasir said he was expressing his complete support to protesters’ demand to catch the culprit. “I don’t want to see my city like this anymore now. Government should take notice as people are very angry,” he said.
Shaukat Patahani, female General Council of Ward number 3 was standing in front of Zainab’s house along with other females of neighbouring streets. She being a local representative of the area where Zainaba’s home was located took part in the protest. “It is 24 hours now that I along with other females are here and protesting on the gruesome and horrific murder of minor girl.
“We fear if action would not be taken the situation of lawlessness could prevail,” she said.
Residents of neighbouring houses and people gathered in front of mosque located in the street of Zaianab’s house told this scribe that no political representative came to offer condolence including Chairman Haji Ejaz khan, Vice Chairman Ahmed Latif, member National Assembly Sheikh Wasim Akhter, Member Punjab Assembly Haji Naeem Safdar Ansari. The city residents had planned to spend the night on roads to catch the culprit if possible as according to them ‘state had failed to provide the justice and security’.