More tragic news for distressed family

LAHORE:

Two days after the Gulshan-i-Iqbal attack, more tragic news was in store for a family. They learned that one more relative of theirs had died.

Earlier, there was some confusion about the whereabouts of Shahzad, 8. He had been in the 20-member group that had gone to the park that day. Some of them were from Lahore while the rest had come from Sanghar, Sindh. Nine had been pronounced dead after the blast. Eight are still admitted to various hospitals.

However, Shahzad’s fate was obscure. The family had contacted their relatives living in Lahore, asking them whether they had any information about him. Early on Wednesday, the family finally received a phone call. An anonymous caller said that Shahzad was alive and well. The man promised to call them later with more information. The message provided a ray of hope to the mourners. However, as time passed without any contact from the mystery caller, the mood started shifting. When the number was redialed, it was found to be switched off.

On Wednesday, Zubair, a family member, called up and told them he had found Shahzad’s body. However, several family members kept insisting that Shahzad was alive and that they should try to contact the caller who had initially told them that the child was alive. Talking to The Express Tribune, Zubair, an uncle of the deceased, said that his heart had swelled with tears of joy when someone told him that Shahzad was alive. “I don’t know who the caller was, but the message gave us a new life. However, this relief was short-lived. It broke my heart to later find Shahzad in the dead house,” Zubair said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 31^st,  2016.