Tragic: Man loses only child to blast, wife and mother in critical condition

The girl was in her mother's arms when a pellet of the grenade pierced through her head

KARACHI:

Ten-month-old Batool Jafri did not even know what a majlis is or, for that matter, what terrorism is. But she became a victim of terrorism on Tuesday night.

Since she had yet to start walking, the little girl was in her mother's arms when she died. Batool, daughter of Ahsan Ali Jafri, was brought by her mother and grandmother to the imambargah at the Islamic Research Centre (IRC), located at Ayesha Manzil within the limits of Gulberg police station, to attend a majlis on Tuesday.  She lost her life when unidentified assailants riding on a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade from a flyover. The device fell down on the road close to the gate of the imambargah and detonated near a group of women who were standing there to attend a majlis.

She was taken to Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment. Her mother and grandmother were also among the eight injured. While all the injured were admitted to AKUH and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and later released after treatment. Batool's mother and grandmother are still under treatment.



Batool was the only child of her parents. Her father, who lives in Gulberg, used to work at a private bank. "My wife and my mother were a bit late and the imambargah was overcrowded," said a traumatised Jafri while speaking to The Express Tribune. "They decided to sit alongside the footpath. As soon as they sat, the bomb fell close to them."

The ill-fated Batool had died on the spot as a single pellet of the grenade pierced through her head. Yet the family took her to the hospital out of hope. The doctors struggled but could not save her. Nonetheless, the doctors are trying to save the lives of Batool's mother and grandmother who were hurt by multiple pellets of the grenade.

Batool's funeral prayers were offered at an imambargah at Ancholi Society after Zuhrain prayers and she was buried at Wadi-e-Hussain Graveyard. A large number of people, including her family members and relatives, were present at the funeral service. Strict security measures were also taken by the police and Rangers to avoid any untoward incident.

After the incident, the police conducted overnight raids in parts of Gulberg and surrounding areas. Nobody has been arrested so far. "We are making efforts to arrest the culprits but we have not arrested anyone," Gulberg SHO Nasir Afridi told The Express Tribune. "Inquiry is also being conducted to ascertain how the culprits managed to carry out the attack despite the presence of law enforcers."

No case was registered till the filing of this report because the police officials were waiting for the complainant as the family was in trauma. On the other hand, Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) condemned the incident and demanded the authorities take security concerns seriously during Muharram.

"The police and Rangers were claiming that a fool-proof security system was in place to secure mourners," said a MWM spokesperson. "However, this incident has proved that they did not do anything and are only relying on statements. Our demands are simple. We just want safety for the mourners."

Published in The Express Tribune, October 30^th, 2014.