Gone missing: Parents fear missing son recruited for jihad
The parents of a young man who went missing in Multan have approached the police for special help fearing he might have been recruited for jhad.
Seventeen-year-old Muhammad Miraaj has been missing since November 27. Talking to The Express Tribune, his father Muhammad Sarwar said he disappeared without any intimation, adding that they have searched the entire colony and the seminary he was studying at in vain.
“We sent him to study the Holy Quran at the Gulzar-e-Madina Mosque in Multan… I am very certain he has been brainwashed for jihad,” maintained Sarwar.
Miraaj’s mother maintained told The Express Tribune that the boy’s growing interest in Jihad began around two months ago.
“He saw Jihad as the only solution for all problems… He was trying to convince us all of this ideology,” she added.
Miraaj’s parents said they did not want their son’s innocence to be exploited by militant organisations.
“I never sent him for Jihad… I only wanted him to learn the Holy Quran at the seminary,” lamented the boy’s father.
Meanwhile, police officials informed The Express Tribune that they have handed the inquiry to the Criminal Investigation Agency’s (CIA) Multan chapter, which has been carrying out covert operations to arrest terrorists in the region for the past year.
According to CIA Multan SP Maqbool Jutt, the department is investigating the seminary and its branches for possible leads into Miraaj’s disappearance. He expressed hope that the boy will be recovered over the next 48 hours.
While the boy’s parents have not nominated anyone in particular in their complaint, police sources say the two are certain the seminary is involved in his disappearance.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 1st, 2012.