Retired major’s house ‘attacked’ over son’s marriage feud
KARACHI:
The house of a retired major of the Pakistan Army was “attacked” early Saturday morning with a Russian-made hand grenade that partially damaged two servants’ rooms at the back of the house. The police have declined so far to lodge an FIR, saying that the incident was the result of a personal enmity.
The house belongs to Major Javed Iqbal, who retired in 1989, and now runs a private company.
Major (retd) Javed alleges that men associated with ex-MPA Zafar Bilal Iqbal were behind the attack. A family dispute involving their children is at the heart of the matter.
In 2006, Zafar Bilal Iqbal’s daughter Ghazna married Major Javed’s son Fahad Rasool, who runs private security company JMZ. He and Ghazna lived peacefully till 2009 and have two children, a three-year old daughter and one-year old son.
In 2009, they developed differences that snowballed into a family rivalry after Ghazna’s father, according to Fahad, took his daughter home in November.
“I was not at home when he took my wife and kids away with them,” claims Fahad Rasool. According to Fahad, he kept trying to persuade his father-in-law, a PML-F leader, to allow her to return.
When no headway was reached, they went to court in December. The custody of the children had not yet been decided when Fahad got the news that Ghazna had left for the US with their children. Since then, the two families have registered many FIRs against each other and Fahad has even been to jail, according to the police.
Zafar Bilal Iqbal also approached the Sindh High Court. In the absence of the ex-MPA, the court issued red warrants against him and his daughter to produce the children.
Fahad claims that he has been receiving threatening phone calls from his father-in-law. He has been asked to divorce Ghazna. “He says if I don’t divorce his daughter he will kill my parents,” Fahad claims. According to him, after the ex-MPA returned to Pakistan on April 14, he made calls to him. “Zafar is asking us to withdraw the court cases,” he said.
According to Major Javed, after Ghazna left, they signed two compromise agreements with the family with the mediation of the CPLC and a local judge. “They assured us that the girl will come back to her home,” said Major Javed.
On November 28, Fahad said he received a text message from his wife, inviting him to lunch at her father’s home. “We thought the situation would get better,” said Major Javed. Ghazna had wanted Fahad to see the children for the last time, they claimed.
For his part, Zafar Iqbal Bilal has denied the allegations. “I don’t know whether his home was attacked or not,” he told The Express Tribune. “I have shifted to Khairpur and am living here.”
According to him, his daughter did not want to live with Fahad as he used to beat her. He confimed that the children had gone to the US, but he said they had gone legally with their original documents. “Anyone can check the records,” he said, adding. “The major is an expert in creating dramatic situations and filing cases against people.”
He said Major Javed had lodged “fake” FIRs against him in the past. “I moved to Khairpur from Karachi to avoid such complications,” he said, adding that it was not difficult for a retired army man to “stage such attacks”.
“No father on earth wants to destroy his daughter’s home,” he said in response to the allegations. “Let the investigators look in to the matter and find out the facts.”
The bomb disposal squad visited the house to inspect the handgrenade. A Darakhshan police official said that they did not know what material had been used in the attack. “We are investigating the matter,” said SHO Azam Ali. However, despite requests from the family no FIR was registered till the filing of this report.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2010.
The house of a retired major of the Pakistan Army was “attacked” early Saturday morning with a Russian-made hand grenade that partially damaged two servants’ rooms at the back of the house. The police have declined so far to lodge an FIR, saying that the incident was the result of a personal enmity.
The house belongs to Major Javed Iqbal, who retired in 1989, and now runs a private company.
Major (retd) Javed alleges that men associated with ex-MPA Zafar Bilal Iqbal were behind the attack. A family dispute involving their children is at the heart of the matter.
In 2006, Zafar Bilal Iqbal’s daughter Ghazna married Major Javed’s son Fahad Rasool, who runs private security company JMZ. He and Ghazna lived peacefully till 2009 and have two children, a three-year old daughter and one-year old son.
In 2009, they developed differences that snowballed into a family rivalry after Ghazna’s father, according to Fahad, took his daughter home in November.
“I was not at home when he took my wife and kids away with them,” claims Fahad Rasool. According to Fahad, he kept trying to persuade his father-in-law, a PML-F leader, to allow her to return.
When no headway was reached, they went to court in December. The custody of the children had not yet been decided when Fahad got the news that Ghazna had left for the US with their children. Since then, the two families have registered many FIRs against each other and Fahad has even been to jail, according to the police.
Zafar Bilal Iqbal also approached the Sindh High Court. In the absence of the ex-MPA, the court issued red warrants against him and his daughter to produce the children.
Fahad claims that he has been receiving threatening phone calls from his father-in-law. He has been asked to divorce Ghazna. “He says if I don’t divorce his daughter he will kill my parents,” Fahad claims. According to him, after the ex-MPA returned to Pakistan on April 14, he made calls to him. “Zafar is asking us to withdraw the court cases,” he said.
According to Major Javed, after Ghazna left, they signed two compromise agreements with the family with the mediation of the CPLC and a local judge. “They assured us that the girl will come back to her home,” said Major Javed.
On November 28, Fahad said he received a text message from his wife, inviting him to lunch at her father’s home. “We thought the situation would get better,” said Major Javed. Ghazna had wanted Fahad to see the children for the last time, they claimed.
For his part, Zafar Iqbal Bilal has denied the allegations. “I don’t know whether his home was attacked or not,” he told The Express Tribune. “I have shifted to Khairpur and am living here.”
According to him, his daughter did not want to live with Fahad as he used to beat her. He confimed that the children had gone to the US, but he said they had gone legally with their original documents. “Anyone can check the records,” he said, adding. “The major is an expert in creating dramatic situations and filing cases against people.”
He said Major Javed had lodged “fake” FIRs against him in the past. “I moved to Khairpur from Karachi to avoid such complications,” he said, adding that it was not difficult for a retired army man to “stage such attacks”.
“No father on earth wants to destroy his daughter’s home,” he said in response to the allegations. “Let the investigators look in to the matter and find out the facts.”
The bomb disposal squad visited the house to inspect the handgrenade. A Darakhshan police official said that they did not know what material had been used in the attack. “We are investigating the matter,” said SHO Azam Ali. However, despite requests from the family no FIR was registered till the filing of this report.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2010.