'Papa, I've been shot'

Syed Hussain Raza Zaidi becomes victim to celebratory gunshots in metropolis


YUSRA SALIM June 20, 2017
15-year-old, Syed Hussain Raza Zaidi. PHOTO: COURTESY Syed Hassan Raza Zaidi

KARACHI: While the nation celebrated Pakistan's victory in the ICC Champions Trophy, 2017 on Sunday night, Syed Hussain Raza Zaidi fought for his life in an operation theatre at Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC).

The country-wide jubilation turned into a day of mourning for Syed Qazim Raza Zaidi's family, who lost their eldest son, Hussain, due to the aerial firing in the name of celebrations for Pakistan's victory.

Fifteen-year-old Hussain was standing on the balcony of his house and watching fireworks in the area soon after Pakistan defeated arch rivals India by 180 runs when he told his father, "Papa some men holding guns are firing [now] that Pakistan are the new champions".
Qazim asked his son to come inside and as soon as he turned to go in his room, Qazim heard his son scream. "He [Hussain] shouted 'Papa, mujhe goli lag gai [Papa, I have been shot]'," Hussain's uncle, Syed Hassan Raza Zaidi narrated the 15-year-old boy's last words.

Pakistan euphoric after big win over arch rival

Hussain's parents rushed their son to JPMC, but he had lost too much blood by the time they reached the hospital. "JPMC doctors started operating on Hussain, but he breathed his last at 2am," Hassan told The Express Tribune while crying over the loss.

The boy's funeral prayers were offered at the Model Colony mosque and he was laid to rest in the Model Colony graveyard.

At 9:30pm, when the whole nation was overjoyed with Pakistan's victory, around four men on two motorcycles passed by Street 25 of Model Colony firing shots in the air and one of which hit Hussain in the ribs and passed into his stomach, explained another uncle, Syed Nazir Raza Zaidi.

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Hussain, an O-Level student at Beacon Askari O-Level Secondary School, Model Colony Campus, was the eldest among two brothers. "There were three brothers, but one of them died four years ago and now we have lost Hussain too," cried Nazir, adding that the younger brother, Syed Taseer Raza Zaidi, is only eight-years-old.

Hussain's father works as a government servant in the health department, while his mother is a school teacher. Police visited the family at their home and the hospital as part of the investigations but no one knew or had seen the motorcyclists.

"The whole team of surgeons tried their best to save the boy but he was in critical condition when brought to the hospital," said JPMC Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali, adding that Hussain was injured in his abdomen.

 

COMMENTS (21)

fareed ashraf chaudhry | 6 years ago | Reply @Acorn Guts: i can distinctly recall a similar instance the day benazir was shot dead. clifton block 7, a bullet whizzed past my right temple. plain lucky that i survived to narrate the incident.
gp65 | 6 years ago | Reply My sincere condolences to the family. I felt sad at losing the match. Cannot even conceive what his parents are feeling and the magnitude of their loss.
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