Another Hope Killed

Here are the latest developments, as of May 14th,1999

According to the investigation reports, there were two men involved. Ali Shah, who hatched this plan and invited Atiq Rehman to be his partner to share the ransom. Atiq Rehman lured my brother to go with him saying his brother in USA had sent him some gifts and he could pick those up from there. Atiq Rehman was detained the day after my brother`s disappearance as some people saw him taking my brother away.He is waiting for a trial. The case has still not gone to the court(2 and half months after the discovery) for some reason. Next day, the main culprit Ali Shah was also apprehended but later released under political pressure. He has disappeared since then along with his family. The police have not made any serious attempt to recover him either.

I am writing letters, sending faxes and emails to as many people as possible. A lot of people were suggested by Mr Feroz Khan, Ms Anita Zaidi and others on the Chowk Forum and I am writing to all of them. I have not heard anything from the Prime Minister, Chief Minister of Punjab, the Interior Minister, Minister for Information or any other govt official so far. Finally I am also sending letters to the congressmen and seantors in US requesting them to put pressure on the govt of Pakistan. I would request you all to send letters to your local reps supporting this case. We had enough of lawlessness and carelessness on the part of government. We have to try our best to stop this.

I would like to thank all of you for your help and support.

Amjad

So what is latest news on this sad story. Any progress made and if case moving in right direction.

..YZ

Sadness is the least one can express here but
downright anger and rage is difficult to suppress.
What has become of us as a people?

Ras

I think we should start contacting the officials on the phone. If we make enough calls, they`ll be too rattled to ignore this case. And I am sure some of us would have connections in the government, why not use them to pressurise the officials conerned into taking some action? Let them know we`ve had enough of this lawlessness and voilence, and we won`t be ignored.

Thank you Feroze and Shandana for all your efforts to help.

The situation is even worse than when I submitted this to Chowk.

According to Atiq Rahman (the suspect in custody), he carried out the plan with another person, a local thug called Ali Shah. Atiq Rahman identified and lured the victim to his house by saying that his brother from the US had sent him gifts. And then they placed the ransom calls. They were hoping to get the money because of the poor child`s US connection, since Atiq Rahman knew that the parents themselves were poor.

Ali Shah was initially detained by the police on suspicion of kidnapping (before Farrukh`s body was found), but released because the police inspector Garaya, got phone calls from local politicians. His family is well-connected. When Dr. Amjad Ali`s family lodged a complaint against the police inspector, he was transferred to another town.

Meanwhile, Ali Shah`s family has conveyed multiple death threats to Dr. Amjad Ali`s family in Gujrat, specifically against his father and brother-in-law, if they choose to pursue any further action against Ali Shah. Amjad is very scared about what the proper course of action should be, and of the risks to his family, but on the balance wants to get justice.

But one has to wonder - what price should one be willing to pay, to get justice, in this lawless land of ours.

Anita

P.S
Also, multiple e-mails were written to Nawaz Sharif, and other government officials, and no action was taken.

re anita,

i emailed dr amjad day before yesterday to tell him i was interested in writing about this. i am waiting for a reply. i have also already spoken to my editor at the tft about having someone look into it and she has said she will follow it up as well.

shandana

Re: Dr. Amjad Ali

Sorry I forgot to include the following info

Ansar Burnay Welfare Trust
e-mail address humanrights@usa.net

Concerned Citizens Association
ccapak@biruni.erum.com.pk
171-D KDA-One
Amir Khurso Road
Karachi 75350
Pakistan

Pakistan American Forum
adeed@erols.com

Re: Anita Zaidi and Dr. Amjad Ali

As per my promise, I talked with a staffer on the Sub-committee on Near Eastern and South Asian Affiars and I discussed your case with them. I was informed that you should write a letter detailing the events, as outlined in the article by Anita, and send it to office of the sub-committee at:

Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
Attention: Senator Sam Brownback
c o Senate Sub-Committee on Near East and South Asia,
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

or if you like you can fax them the info at
(202)224-0836

When you fax, phone or mail that info, please remember to ask if that info/letter could be read into the offical Congressional Record. That would make your case an offical part of the Congressional record and that way, the Pakistani Govt. or the Embassy could not deny the facts of the case as never happening! You must first document this case so that authorities back home can not deny their complicity in this matter.

Furthermore, you should also try the U.S. State Department, South Asian Desk, at (202) 647-4000 and tell them about the case.

I also tried to reach the media coordinator at Amnesty International in New York, but she was on a vacation and will not be back till May 4. Tomorrow, I will see if there is a media person in Washington and if we can move sooner than May 4 on this issue. Also; I gave you an incorrect e-mail address. The right one is frkhan@chowk.com

You need to get the ball moving ASAP and I think Anita was dead right when she suggested papers in Pakistan. I would get in touch with Bina or Shandana and see if they point you towards a journalist in Pakistan who could write a story. Also, this is a long shot, but you might try the Jang-Group; their website is @ www.jang-group.com
There should be a list of e-mail address and see if you can contact their investigative news division or Kamran Khan, one of their chief investigator reporters. He is well versed in dealing with police and in the past has reported on police apathy and inefficieny in dealing with cases. I know that CNN has a reporter in Pakistan, but his name escapes me at the present, but he might also be an option to try.

Let me do some more digging......

Also, Amjad`s e-mail addresses are listed in the intro, for anyone who wishes to contact him personally, with advice.

anita

Thank you Feroz for the very useful suggestions. Any phone calls that you can make would be tremendously appreciated. I think Amjad is waiting to get a password so he can respond personally.

I was hoping that AA would also have some suggestions, and that the bona fide journalists and writers among us, such as Bina Shah and Shandana would also write in local newspapers to get some additional coverage and pressure on the police.

Anita

Dr. Amjad Ali:

Feroz Khan has given you some good suggestions. I wish I could be as helpful.

Give up your passport and religion. Neither the state we love as Pakistan nor the religion Islam as practiced there is worth anything other than gigantic headaches.

News emanating from Pakistan is guaranteed to be painful. This is the crystalisation of my experiences over the last 30+ years. Each year, each disgusting occurence later I think we have hit rock bottom. What wishful thinking!

When I read about the Peshawar gynaecologist who had her daughter killed in the office of her lawyer and had the temerity to demand later that Asma and her sister should be hanged, I thought this is the pits! Now this. NO, sir, it is not worth it.

No! No, it is not my Pakistan. No! No, It is not my Islam. No! No, it is not my Allah. No! No, they are not my brethern.

I share your frustration. What pains me more is my own inability. I give up. Later, after all your efforts have failed, perhaps, you too would consider giving up that passport and that religion to find Love, Happiness, Peace elsewhere in His wide kingdom.

regards

amnesty@cyber.net.pk

This is the e-mail to the Amnesty International`s chapter in Pakistan. Please contact them and provide them with the facts and ask them how to move on this issue. They should be able to answer your questions and help you. In the mean time, I will see what I can do to help from this end. AI has a chapter devoted to helping the plight of children in South Asia and presently I am trying to locate the contact name of the person who is responsible for that South Asian chapter of AI.

Re: Dr. Amjad Ali please provide this article to the AI Pakistan and dicuss with them the best way to increase publicity for your case. Do your parents have any documentation from the police station, i.e. case registration number or anything that suggests that a complaint was lodged with the police. Please give that info to AI Pakistan also; to show their comlicity in the murder of your brother.

Also this is off the top of my head, but you might want to contact the Senate Sub-Committe on Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Chair is Sam Brownback R-KS. This sub-committe deals with all aspects of American relations with Pakistan and they could provide you with further info on how to progress on this issue.

If Duke U. has a local branch or chapter of AI, I would get in touch them too. Right now you should be considering networking various groups to garner publicity and formulate some sort of
a letter basically stating your case. Hope this helps for now......

If you or Anita need to contact me, my e-mail is ferozk@chowk.com Please feel free to get in touch with me anytime!

I was sorry to hear about the case of a young boy being kidnapped in Pakistan.

I think Jawahara`s comment on contacting NGOs in Pakistan might be a useful means, but those groups can not bring overbearing pressure on the Pakistani government or any of its agencies to do something. When confronted with such cases, we have to remember that NGOs tend to be ineffective, because they are dealing with the apathy of our government officals!

I think that the best way is to contact Amnesty International in the States and your local Congressional representatives. There is a silent consensus in the Congress to link development aid with improved human rights and unless we link the improvement of human rights with IMF and other monies, Pakistani government will be indifferent. Pakistani government only listens when you cut off its money supply! We ex-pats should write, e-mail and start a grassroots effort to link development aid to Pakistan with the improvement of human rights just as Asma J. advocated to the EU aid agencies in Brussels a few weeks ago.

Writing the PM`s palace of whores in Islamabad will not do any good and nor will contacting Pakistani Embassy in Washington, because this government is complicit in all the lawness going on in Pakistan. Let me make a few calls in Washington and find out some details/contact names on this issue. I will get back with the information to you within a few days.

This is horrible. Does Pakistan have any social organizations, NGOs, etc. that can help this family?

The loss of a child is devestating enough, even without dealing with the brutality of this act. Can we as a web community do anything to help? Post requests for help and information on news groups, etc? I was recently able to get in touch with some agencies who have some clout in India, when the cousin of a friend was poisoned by her in-laws, an apparent dowry death.

Sorry for the double post. I forgot something. In a case involving police apathy about 3-4 years ago, when the perpetrator got off scott free, calls from NRIs over the world flooded the police station, forcing the higher ups to notice and take action.

That information (phone number, names, the story, etc.) was disseminated via newsgroups. With more and more people online now, this might help too. Just a thought.

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