Three children between the ages of two and five were brought to Polyclinic Hospital on Thursday, where doctors pronounced them dead.
The Secretariat police suspected the children died some time during the night after suffocating on the gasses emitted by coal burning in the fireplace of their room.
However, in his recorded statement the children’s father, Zahoor Hussain, said, “Djinns reside at an old temple close to my house. These djinns killed my children.” He added that his remaining children also fell unconscious under “the influence of the djinns”.
A police official said that Hussain in his statement told the police that the three minors went to bed on Wednesday and did not wake up in the morning. When he and his wife went to check up on them, they found them unconscious.
“I called Pir Zakir Shah from the nearby shrine to my house for the treatment of the children but the djinns proved too strong for the Pir and my children died in the evening,” said Hussain adding that his house was jinxed. The family gave in writing that they did not want a post-mortem nor did they want to register a case against anyone.
A police official said the children were brought to the hospital at around 6:30pm on Thursday. Hussain, the father and a resident of Mohalla Arra in Bari Imam, brought Komal (2), Husnain Abbas (3) and Mishaal (5) to the hospital, police said.
A Rescue 15 police official stationed at the hospital informed the Secretariat Police about the death of the children.
“They (the parents) thought the children were sleeping so they did not want to disturb them,” said a police official quoting from the initial statement of the family given to the police.
Police tried to persuade Hussain to agree to a post-mortem to ascertain the cause of their children’s death. However, he turned down the suggestion, saying that he will not let his children’s bodies to be further desecrated. Police believe the post-mortem report could clarify certain points in the investigation, such as the time and the cause of the deaths.
A police official said that the parents may have wasted valuable time in going to the Pir for treatment before taking them to the hospital. “They thought the children were only unconscious and the Pir would bring them back to normal with his amal (exorcism),” said the official.
He added that the family went to the hospital only after they were certain that the children were dead.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2012.
COMMENTS (24)
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What didn't the Djinns kill the parents also..why only the kids?! Either it was negligence on the parents part or something's fishy here! Poor babies.. May their souls Rest in Peace!
The bodies must be put through a post-mortem. The parents should be tried for negligent manslaughter.
@American Desi: we can not tap jinns for there electricity.. they should be left alone
Those saying Djinns have been confirmed by the quran and yadda yadda yadda...well that's your opinion. There is no LAW against the supernatural killing people so this case SHOULD be investigated further...what century is this!
If Pakistani nuclear scientist Sultan Bashiruddin Mahmood had proposed that djinni could be tapped to solve the energy crisis, what's wrong with the view of this uneducated man?! It's wrong on the part of authorities not to conduct the autopsy of the bodies! They could have poisoned.
Mj: Jinns do exists ... there are references to them in Quran and Sunnah, if of course, you follow Islam.
The state should take on the case and carry a post-mortem, regardless.
In first world countries, where they value accountability, they take cases of deceased children on their behalf and take them quite seriously.
The parents and the pir would be investigated and it would be determined whether their stupidity and negligence contributed to the deaths. Such prosecutors can sometimes get over-zealous and wrongfully charge parents who may otherwise be innocent. In Pak it seems any mention to hold anyone accountable gets dismissed.
@abdul basit: djinns aren't a fairy tale my son. Djinns are clearly confirmed in Quran
@Hasna: well hasna this story seems to be made up, but you can not say that djinns do not exist, they do as it is in the Quran & yes Quran can never lie, like NEVER!!!
@Hasna: Yes , duh!! its the last testament ( of fables)
Police should investigate this case and the investigation should start from home. How can you not do post-mortem. What happens to the rights of people who die in accidents? Pakistan police is so quick in closing cases. In my opinion this case needs to be properly investigated.
How can something which does not exist kill someone?
@Acorn. good point. Exorcism is not inlet a phenomenon in pakistan, its global ntt friend. Vatican, recently publicized job vacancies en masse for exorcists, because of high demand. Current lot of Christian Exorcist is unable to keep up with the demand. So dont blame Pir Zakir Shah. Its global, even in most educated societies.
Children are dead due to sheer ignorance on his part and look whom he found convenient to blame. Escapism and victim mindset is a rule rather than an exception in Pakistan.
That's y education is necessary. But it doesn't mean that v quit believe in Djinns.
There is some other logical explaination, this is nonsense theory!! .. why would Djinns kill in the 1st place? & that too innocent harmless children!! No one is killed like this?!!.. Utter nonsense, deceit and lies ... The body of children should be further investigated, the parents + peer baba too. I guess the father recently watched The 'Paranormal Activity' movie!!! ....
Pakistani Society: Superstitious, hypocritical, indifferent, illiterate and caught between a misplaced sense of "right" and "wrong", handed down by generations of idiots.
This is an obvious case of carbon-monoxide poisoning
These peers are killing people need a stamp on them, need a true ISLAMIC leader to eradicate these killers.
Saleem Shehzad commission could use this reason too.
This is what happens when believing in fairy tales goes too far.
cant' accept this parents version of story,.luks like a mysterious case,.parents nd that peer should be investigated,