As I was reading the sad story on ATP about an official government car, reportedly in the use of the Syed Safwanullah, Federal Minister of Housing and Works, crushing to death a 6-year old child, another incident which is even more tragic occured in Lahore and surprisingly got very little media attention initially.
According to Daily Times:
The case dates back to November 26, when Waseem Sajjad Malik, a cellular phone-company employee (resident of 292/293-B, Punjab Corporative Society), lost control of his car and hit a tree allegedly because of two racing cars near
Masjid Chowk in Defence. One of the two cars (LWJ-700) belonged to Faisal Farooq, son of a prominent confectioner. Waseem’s two-month old baby, born five years after his marriage, went through the screen and fell about 20 feet away. Waseem, his mother and his wife were injured. Waseem’s baby went into a comma right away. Passers-by caught Faisal Farooq, who fled when he saw that they were calling the police. The victims were admitted to hospital with multiple fractures and the baby died shortly after that. Defence police registered a case against Faisal Farooq.
Faisal Farooq’s family, close to senior police officers, intervened. Allegedly, Faisal Farooq, his uncles Mehmood and Maqsud, and five people carrying weapons went to the National Defence Hospital on November 29, where they threatened Waseem’s brother-in-law Mutahir and asked him to withdraw the case. They locked Mutahir in a room, allegedly, beat him up, and fled. Senior policemen then directed the Defence ASP to make sure another case was not registered, but another group of police officers also intervened and got a case registered.
A large number of people have received SMS messages on their mobile phones asking them to boycott the products of the confectionary chain owned by Faisal’s father. “Faisal Farooq, son of [the owner of a confectionary] hit a car while racing, killing a baby and injuring a family,� the message read. “Faisal and a squad of gunmen then threatened the family,� it says, “that if a case was registered, he would kill the rest of the family.� The SMS requested the readers to boycott the confectionary responding to the demand of “the soul of an innocent infant and the tears of his parents�.
Officials of the cellular phone company in which Wasim worked denied that they were involved in circulating the SMS. “How can we stop people from sending messages to each other on the subject?� the public relations manager said. People were free to SMS anybody they wanted, he said, and the company had not initiated the campaign. Police spokesman declined to speak on the issue and the CPC was not available for comment.
The confectionary, of course, is teh famous Nirala Sweet House.
I am not sure what to say about this. Incidents like this happen every now and then and only just a few become known to us. Waseem and his family have now got media attention 
and I am sure they have full support form Mobilink which will help them in a painfully slow, complicated and costly legal battle ahead. But in most cases, unfortunately, rich and powerful easily get away with murder and this happens everywhere.
The most unfortunate part of this story is that the baby is dead. Whatever we say or do now is useless in a way and nobody can bring him/her back. It also makes me wonder whats the logic of blessing someone a child after so many years and then take away in split second? Only Allah knows the best. We can only offer our prayers to the victim’s family.
Lets hope that all of us in Lahore will keep the pressure on, even if it means Boycotting Nirala. Lets exercise our basic right to protest against injustice which we have long forgotten as a nation. I know most of us feel powerless to prevent injustice but lets not fail to protest atleast. Myself (on Lahore Metroblog) and other bloggers have already taken up the issue (here, here, here, here and here; alternative viewpoint here) and the press is also begining to take notice (here, here and here).
Please call or email your friends and family in Pakistan – in Lahore, in Karachi – and ask them not to buy at or accept gifts from Nirala. I do not know if this will make a difference. But at least we would not have sat and done nothing. And who knows, maybe if enough of us boycott Nirala it will hurt these people where it hurts them most; in their wallets.
Darwaish blogs on his own blog la vie en rose and also contributes to Metroblog Lahore, where this post first appeared.
as far the afghan kid is concerned i came to know abt him on this blog……..there is smth seriously wrong with our media…….no mater wat we say the powerful stil run the media …………………
Asim, you speak as if you were there. Were you. How do you know any of this? What is your source? A lot of people come here with these claims that they know the truth. Not sure how they come to their ‘truth’. Speaking of which, WHERE IS THIS FAISAL GUY. If he is innocent why is he fleeing from the law?
And for whoever asked. No I don’t trust teh police much, but I DO trust them much much more than rich spoiled kids racing around in Porches.
[quote comment=”14263″]Reminiscent of Hamid’s novel Mothsmoke– of course all fiction is based on some facts and facts are always stranger than fiction.[/quote]
I personally feel that people should inquire to the full before making a decision or before siding with someone.
The accident was caused because Waseems car made a sudden U turn infront of a fast car & after the impact Waseems car got out of control & hit the tree causing the very sadest part of the whole issue “The demise of a infant”.
There was no threatning in the hospital , Faisal (Nirala) went there with his father (who is sick with Parkinson disease & can bearly move) & two uncles to condol the death of the infant & offer their appology but Waseem brother in laws out of rage gave this a whole new issue telling media that they came to Treaten them. How can some one educated enough take his own sick father & uncle to Threaten some one ??? Even the hospital staff also witnesed that Fisal & his family only came to condol & not to threaten.
I thin we should be more responsible in our judgememt than being rational. Mobilink should also play a responsible role in as someday they might have to face the same issue of boycot, “You reap what you sow !!! ”
Asim
[quote post=”451″]LET THE LAW TAKE ITS COURSE. Can’t understand how anyone can be defending someone who went ‘missing’ after warrants were issued?[/quote]
Irrelevent of current topic but the I would like to know how much do you trust local police and Judiciary system?
MQ, there may be at least one other possible explanation. Note that the interest is largely geared around whether to boycott or not. This relates to a sense of empowerment (right or worng) which makes people think that they can DO SOMETHING about this. Whether we believe it will make a difference or not, at least we can do our little bit. In the other case, there is a sense of disempowerment: Not just that “nothing that I do will make a differnece”, but also that “there is nothing that I can do.”
p.s. By the way, this is why democracy is important. Despite its imperfections, it gives people the belief – and occasionally the ability – to change things they do not like.