12-year-old beaten, stabbed, shot in Peshawar

Mirwas ninth adolescent to die in mysterious circumstances since April 2015

PESHAWAR:

Killers, without a morsel of sympathy or remorse, seem out for the blood of the city’s children as yet another victim, 12-year-old Mirwas, was found murdered from the fields in Mera Kachori area within Chamkani police’s jurisdiction. The remains of the school boy bore multiple stab wounds all over; he had been beaten with sticks and even shot­­ - a fate few could wish even for their worst enemy.

Mirwas was discovered accidently by guests there to attend a wedding. He had gone missing on March 25, only to turn up dead.

Child dies from father's beating in Lahore

Missing children have been turning up dead all over the provincial capital since April 2015, but if there is any link, the police and Child Protection and Welfare Commission seem unwilling to lift their pens and connect the dots.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a town member from the area, Nabi Gul, said the victim belonged to a financially disadvantaged family and his father was dead.

“This is a brutal act by all possible definitions of the word. He has been stabbed with daggers and knives countless times, beaten with sticks and then shot too,” he said. Gul added the family had no enmities. Police said the child was found from a deserted area and the body was shifted to the police station.

“His relatives have reached, but an FIR has yet to be registered in the case,” said an official of the local station.

Not the first

This is far from the first time a child has been found dead in mysterious circumstances. In April 2015, a five-year-old was found murdered in Banamarhi area. He was never ever identified as the body was decomposed and silently buried by the police.



Since then, eight such murders have occurred—and been discovered—and this latest case makes it the ninth.

Some of the children went missing from their houses and turned up dead days later. In certain cases, the victims had cuts, leading parents to believe that organ theft was involved. Others were never ever identified and buried, while police have been quick to refute any claims of organ theft. However, they remain alarmed by the mysterious disappearances and murders.

Talking to The Express Tribune, child rights activist Uzma Mehboob strongly criticised the K-P police, Child Protection and Welfare Commission and the provincial government for these incidents.

“Whenever a child goes missing, police should register an FIR in the case to bring it on record,” she stressed. Uzma pointed out the counter-terrorism department’s (CTD) sole responsibility was to curb such terrorism, while it is the police that has to curb such crimes. “This is not happening,” she claimed.



Chamkani DSP Abdul Salam Khalid said Mirwas left home on the March 25 and never returned. He was found dead on Sunday. When asked about possible organ theft, he said medical examiners were at hand to perform a post-mortem and matters will be clearer after an autopsy.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions and the autopsy will decide whether the child has beaten to death or stabbed or had any organ removed,” he concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th,  2016.