‘He left home to support us, but never returned’

GILGIT: Faizan’s father received the dead body of his son with unbridled grief combined with an intense fury. When he talked with this correspondent, his posture was not one of calm acceptance of a poor peasant or the submissiveness of a serf.

Faizan Khan, a native of Gilgit, was one of those unfortunate people killed in Karachi during heavy rainfall two weeks ago.

Media reports said that at least 20 people had died in the torrential rains when Cyclone Phet struck Karachi and parts of Sindh. Some people had been electrocuted while others died as billboards broke away from their supports and crushed them.

But Faizan, a mechanic, was not electrocuted nor was he hit by a falling billboard. He was found dead inside ‘Azeem Motor Workshop’ in Nazimabad, where he had been working. His body was found on June 6.

His father, Na’es Khan, a driver, told The Express Tribune in Gilgit on Thursday that he suspected his 19-year-old son’s death occurred due to the rain.

He said that Faizan had last talked with his mother on June 3, promising her to send Rs10,000 for home repairs. Instead, his dead body was delivered to us, said Na’es.

As if wanting to say that his mother did not know how their son died, the grieving father said: “But there was no autopsy, no FIR with the documents brought along with the body.” He said that relatives in Karachi were only informed of Faizan’s death after the body had been placed in a coffin.

Accounts of how Faizan died vary. Na’es Khan says some people in Karachi had told him that his son had died after falling off a roof.

He said he had asked the authorities to investigate the circumstances of Faizan’s death, but so far no progress has been made.

Na’es also revealed that Faizan’s personal belongings, seven months’ salary, CNIC card and other documents were still in the possession of Maqsood, the owner of the workshop.  According to Na’es, Maqsood was the person who arranged for Faizan’s body to be sent to Gilgit through Edhi services.

He alleged that both Maqsood and his brother Masood were reluctant to tell the family exactly what had happened to Faizan.

Na’es also said that Faizan’s coffin could not be opened when it arrived in Gilgit, despite many attempts. Na’es demanded that he be compensated for the death, as all those whose loved ones had been killed in Karachi during the rain had been compensated.

Published in the Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2010.