22 years later, ‘killers of two boys confess’

Suspects let go by police admit to crime, says father of victim.

FAISALABAD: Two men confessed last week to killing two children 22 years ago in the Rajana area.

Speaking to media on Sunday, a Putli village resident, Muhammad Nawaz said that his son, Mohammad Ishaq, 7, and Ahmad Yar’s son, Shaukat, 8, had left for school one day in 1991 and never returned.

“We later found the bodies lying in a cotton field near Chak 190-GB. The boys had been kidnapped, sexually assaulted and murdered,” he said. He said police had arrested four men, Mohammad Bashir, Mohammad Yousuf, Ahmad Bux and Mohammad Bux, but released them later after they denied the crime and certain influential people vouched for them.

“A few days ago, late Shaukat’s brother Mazhar Hussain, received a phone call inviting him to Falak Sher’s house for information on the murders,” he said.

Nawaz said that he companied Yar. He said Muhammad Bashir and Muhammad Yousuf met them.

“They confessed to killing our children, cried and asked for our forgiveness,” he said.

“They said they could not sleep without having nightmares about their crime,” he said. “We did not forgive them,” he said. Instead, the two fathers told the police about the confessions.

Investigation Officer Ghulam Rasool told The Express Tribune they had not arrested the men. He said they were investigating the matter.

SHO Bahar Hussain Bhatti said that the fathers had asked for the registration of a fresh case.
“The matter is complicated …the case registered in 1991 was declared untraceable,” he said.

“First, we need to determine whether we will have to reopen the case or register a new one,” Bhatti said. The suspects have been summoned for their version regarding the alleged confession in front of the complainants, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11^th, 2012.