Superstitions: Efforts for kidnapped UK boy

By Mohammad Saleem

FAISALABAD, Pakistan: Disappointed with the police efforts, parents of Shehryar, a four-year old British national, kidnapped on Aug 21 last, has started to visit different shrines seeking help of saints and also

feeding hundred of birds in a bid to get particulars and safe recovery of the son.

Iftikhar Ahmad, father of Shehryar is also a British national and settled in Sterling, Britain, since 1986 and his wife Irum is a manager at a private bank in Faisalabad.

Being educated and living in a modern society of Britain that is equipped with modern gadgets to resolve issues, Iftikhar said he had to adopt traditional methods of seeking help of people in Pakistan who had nothing to do with criminal issues.

Talking to Dawn, Iftikhar Ahmad, said he had been running from pillar to post realize the policemen that delay would endanger the life of his son. However, he said the police officials were doing everything on papers, practically the situation was altogether different compounding our tension.

He said investigation officer of the case had completed a progress report of the case a couple of days in which he had distorted facts only to save the prime accused Shehroze. He alleged the officer had connections with the family of Shehroze who had criminal record.

In the report, he said the officer had not mentioned that Shehroze confessed before the SSP that he had taken Shehryar to a nearby outhouse to show him animals and later dropped him at home.

Similarly, he said the investigation officer had also been given the detail of messages, younger brother of the accused, had with a girl, however, the report had no word on the messaging.

He said the girl had asked him; “Lota do un ka bacha bs kro itny zalim na ho (Return their child, don’t be so cruel).

Nothing has been mentioned in the report regarding an eyewitness, Mohammad Akram, a vegetable vendor, of the area who had seen Shehroze with abducted boy, he added.

Such shenanigans of police have forced us to pray to God and seeking help of saints with regular feeding of birds so that Shehryar can come home safely, he said adding we were losing hope with every passing day because the police officers were not sensing the sensitivity of the case.

He said we had travelled hundreds of miles in few days to visit different shrines and saints in Abbottabad, Narowal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot, Samundri and other adjoining areas of Faisalabad.

"Like us a Baba G in Abbottabad, more than 400 kilometers from Faisalabad, has endorsed our stance that child is with a boy living in a house having Chobara (upper storey). How Baba G knows about his house structure," he added.

He said Baba also told that I (Iftikhar) and my wife were not at home when Shehryar had been kidnapped.

"Shehroze had handed over the child to his relatives who were present at his house on Aug 21. His relatives had gone with Shehryar," Iftikhar quoted Baba G as saying.

He said more than 300-km travel to Narowal remained a useless effort.

“When my family reached Narowal they were informed that the saint had received a cardiac pain and was shifted to Lahore. Family returned with heavy heart as we had been informed that the saint would expose the kidnappers,” he said.

He said we know that information being provided by the saints had no legal value, however, it was clearing the picture.