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.
actually no pressure on the media by nirala or anyone else
its not Niralas fault its just our JUSTICE IS NIARALA! a total failure!hes known so SMS are happening outta soem grudge in mobilink against him but thinnk of this aspect too “when theres smoke theres fire!” think wat is happening to the hundreds killed by the ones that dun own Niralas and are MNAs Industrialists!boycotting Nirala wont bring the child back or will lseeen the pain or make him drive carefully its Justice that wildo it a we all know how our justice is!its us to be blamed as well!wheres MUSHs and SHUJs and where are SKAUKs! its really a shock!
What huma khan said is 100% right and It’s lame one get baised just because it was done by a rich kid. Car accidents/law violation often happen in Karachi near boatbasin area where police doesn’t have courage to catch those spoil brats of corrupt “rich people”.
The nirala man should be given the maximum punishment. They don’t even care about the death to a baby. What were they upto. And the people who posted in favor of nirla…..its becuz of careless ppl like u that this country has no improvement. You also favor someone who was rich, doesn’t care about the baby, put urselves in their position. And let me get this straight, NOOO ONE with his family will drive so dangerously that they are in critical risk of dying.
Seems like (from this website) the Nirala people have launched a campaign to ‘clean’ their name. Maybe the public campaign on blogs and SMS and all HAS worked after all and they are feeling the pinch in their wallet and in their reputation.
If they are not at fault then their name SHOULD be cleared. But just saying that let the law take its course is like saying just forget about it. Afterall isn’t the whole point that the law WILL NOT take the side of the poor and the Nirala people have all the power to ‘shut up’ teh law and to let the story die out.
The real test, I think, is also of the Pakistani media. I am sure the Nirala people are also putting pressure on the media to let the story die out. Lets see what happens.
Unfortunately, I have a feeling that you will see the story soon disappear as editors get calls and emails to ‘focus on the other side’. Everone will forget. I hope I am wrong and the press WILL keep up the vigilance to follow the story no matter what. Yes, let the law take its course. But lets make sure that it does!