Reign of terror: Beheaded man leaves behind inconsolable family
Gohar Ali was executed by Taliban for accidentally shooting his wife.
Gohar’s daughters Nazma and Sawera with their grandfather Muhammad Ayoub. PHOTO: FAZAL KHALIQ/EXPRESS
SWAT:
The guilt of accidentally shooting his wife must have been short-lived for 26-year-old Gohar Ali, for he was beheaded by the Taliban soon after the incident.
“I loved my father. He used to bring sweets and biscuits for me, take me for walks and kiss me. I miss him,” said eight-year-old Nazma, one of the two daughters of Ali. His other daughter, Sawera, is six years old.
Ali’s father and sole guardian of his daughters, Muhammad Ayoub, lives in Sakhra village of Matta tehsil, once a stronghold of the Taliban. He said his son was ruthlessly killed by the Taliban in 2008 as punishment for accidentally shooting his wife.
According to Ayoub, Ali was cleaning his pistol when it went off and a bullet hit his wife’s leg. “There was a curfew on that day because of a blast in Matta so we could not take her to a hospital. A local medical practitioner treated her, but she succumbed to her injuries.”
Ali’s family paid Rs200,000 to his in-laws upon the Taliban’s orders, but the militants did not spare him.
Ali and his father were abducted and taken to an undisclosed location. One day, the militants dragged Ali out of the room where the two were held captive, after which he never returned. Two days later, Ayoub was released only to find out that his son had been publicly executed.
“When I got back, it was a different house, crowded with people crying and my heart sank. Then someone came running up to me and told me the Taliban had slaughtered Ali,” said the aggrieved father. “I looked up at the sky and it seemed normal. My world, however, was shattered. They slaughtered my only son in front of the whole village.”
An eyewitness said an announcement had been made prior to the beheading. “When all the locals assembled in Sakhra Bazaar, they slit his throat,” he added.
Left without a father and mother, both Nazma and Sawera came under the care of their grandparents. But they have now been admitted in Khpal Kor Foundation, an orphanage at Mingora. The institution has a school with complete boarding facilities and is known for its quality education. More than 500 war-affected children are currently living there.
“I wanted them to receive better education so I brought them here,” explained Muhammad Ayoub as he sat with the two girls.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2013.
The guilt of accidentally shooting his wife must have been short-lived for 26-year-old Gohar Ali, for he was beheaded by the Taliban soon after the incident.
“I loved my father. He used to bring sweets and biscuits for me, take me for walks and kiss me. I miss him,” said eight-year-old Nazma, one of the two daughters of Ali. His other daughter, Sawera, is six years old.
Ali’s father and sole guardian of his daughters, Muhammad Ayoub, lives in Sakhra village of Matta tehsil, once a stronghold of the Taliban. He said his son was ruthlessly killed by the Taliban in 2008 as punishment for accidentally shooting his wife.
According to Ayoub, Ali was cleaning his pistol when it went off and a bullet hit his wife’s leg. “There was a curfew on that day because of a blast in Matta so we could not take her to a hospital. A local medical practitioner treated her, but she succumbed to her injuries.”
Ali’s family paid Rs200,000 to his in-laws upon the Taliban’s orders, but the militants did not spare him.
Ali and his father were abducted and taken to an undisclosed location. One day, the militants dragged Ali out of the room where the two were held captive, after which he never returned. Two days later, Ayoub was released only to find out that his son had been publicly executed.
“When I got back, it was a different house, crowded with people crying and my heart sank. Then someone came running up to me and told me the Taliban had slaughtered Ali,” said the aggrieved father. “I looked up at the sky and it seemed normal. My world, however, was shattered. They slaughtered my only son in front of the whole village.”
An eyewitness said an announcement had been made prior to the beheading. “When all the locals assembled in Sakhra Bazaar, they slit his throat,” he added.
Left without a father and mother, both Nazma and Sawera came under the care of their grandparents. But they have now been admitted in Khpal Kor Foundation, an orphanage at Mingora. The institution has a school with complete boarding facilities and is known for its quality education. More than 500 war-affected children are currently living there.
“I wanted them to receive better education so I brought them here,” explained Muhammad Ayoub as he sat with the two girls.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 21st, 2013.